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European shares slip as Fed saps post U.S. midterms rally

Published 11/09/2018, 05:46 AM
© Reuters. The German share price index DAX graph at the stock exchange in Frankfurt
FCHI
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DE40
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STOXX50
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CFR
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UHR
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TKAG
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PRTP
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LDOF
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RUBF
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CL
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STOXX
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SXPP
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SX7E
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By Julien Ponthus

LONDON (Reuters) - European shares slipped on Friday, joining a global market retreat that spread from Wall Street to Asia after the Federal Reserve appeared to remain on track to raise its key interest rate next month.

The pan-European STOXX 600 (STOXX) was down 0.5 percent at 0930 GMT, while the leading index of euro zone stocks (STOXX50E) was 0.7 percent lower.

All European bourses and most sectors were in negative territory with Germany's DAX (GDAXI) down 0.6 percent and France's CAC 40 (FCHI) losing 0.7 percent.

"Just as the feel-good factor was beginning to return to the markets, buoyed by the result of the U.S. midterms, the Fed swooped in and brought everyone back down to earth", Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda, said in a note.

Some investors had hoped that the sharp share price falls during what has been called "Red October" might have encouraged the U.S. central bank to take a more dovish approach toward monetary policy.

A number of disappointing corporate earnings in Europe weighed on the market mood, as Germany's Thyssenkrupp (DE:TKAG) fell to its lowest levels since July 2016 after cutting its profit outlook for the second time this year.

The steel-to-submarines conglomerate, under a cartel probe, cut its profit outlook for the second time this year, adding to a string of bad news for the group.

Shares in Thyssenkrupp fell about 8 percent, its biggest fall in about two years and weighed on the Basic Resources sector (SXPP), down 2.35 percent and hit by lower metals prices.

Thyssenkrupp was the STOXX 600's second-worst performance, behind France's Rubis (PA:RUBF).

The French oil storage and distribution group led losers with a 14 percent fall after a disappointing trading update and brokers lowered their recommendation for the stock.

The energy sector also acted as a drag with oil majors weighing on indexes as rising supply and concerns of an economic slowdown pressured prices, with U.S. crude down by around 20 percent since early October.

Another blow for investors was luxury goods group Richemont (S:CFR), which fell 5.8 pct after it said first-half net profit fell and sales growth slowed toward the end of the period.

The results knocked Swiss peer Swatch (S:UHR), which fell 4.1 percent, and French luxury group Kering (PA:PRTP), the worst performer among the 40 constituents of Paris' CAC 40 (FCHI) with a 3 percent decline.

Italian state-controlled defense group Leonardo (MI:LDOF) was another big loser, tumbling 7.7 percent after a disappointing trading update.

The euro zone banking sector (SX7E) was also deep in the red, down 2 percent.

© Reuters. The German share price index DAX graph at the stock exchange in Frankfurt

The euro and euro zone bond yields were pushed lower after the head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi said late on Thursday that the bank could change its monetary policy guidance if the economic outlook darkens.

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