AlQa'dah 11, 1434, Sep 17, 2013, SPA -- European shares edged lower on Tuesday, led down by weakness in carmakers after demand for autos fell last month, but they remained in touching distance of 5-year highs after a strong rally, Reuters reported. Carmakers dropped 1.3 percent, the top falling sector, after the Association of European Carmakers said European car sales fell 4.9 percent last month. German car parts and tyre maker Continental AG shed 3.9 percent, the top faller on the FTSEurofirst 300 , with traders citing news that major shareholder Schaeffler had placed shares in the group worth 950 million euros to cut debt. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 fell 0.3 percent to 1,254.44, having posted a close of 1,258.42 in the previous session - its highest close since June 2008. The FTSEurofirst has rallied 5.2 percent since the start of September, and 12.9 percent since June's lows made after Bernanke's first comments on reining in the Fed's "quantitative easing" programme.
