LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - European shares retreated on Tuesday, pressured by miners, with lingering concerns about Ireland's debt situation and renewed talk of further policy tightening in China prompted investors to trade cautiously.
At 0804 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.7 percent at 1,104.41 points after closing 0.8 percent higher in the previous session.
"We have certainly seen an increase in uncertainty and the focus has been on Europe and on what's happening with Ireland and the peripheral countries. All eyes are looking towards the Brussels meeting of EU finance ministers," said Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"There is also some degree of uncertainty with the U.S. as well. We saw some mark up in treasury yields yesterday, with a group of economists questioning the Federal Reserve's QE2 programme."
The Irish government said it has been holding talks on how to provide stability for its banks and finances but denied a state rescue was needed to stop its problems spilling into other countries.
Miners were pressured by weaker prices of metals, which fell on fresh concerns that China, one of the world's top commodity consumers, could further tighten its policies. BHP Billiton, Antofagasta, Rio Tinto and Xstrata fell 1.8 to 2.5 percent. (Reporting by Atul Prakash)