European shares fell on Thursday, stalling attempts to recover from a heavy sell-off caused by Britain's vote to leave the European Union last week, as shares in major banks lost ground.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index and the similar FTSEurofirst 300 index both fell by 0.6 per cent.
Britain’s benchmark FTSE 100 retreated by 0.3 per cent while Germany’s DAX fell 0.5 per cent.
Banking stocks were among the worst performers.
Shares in Deutsche Bank and Santander fell after their US units suffered the ignominy of failing US stress tests yet again this year, while a Morgan Stanley downgrade also hit Royal Bank of Scotland.
China stocks ended little changed on Thursday as investors took profits on this week's rebound after heavy selling last week triggered by Britain's vote to leave the European Union.
The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 0.1 per cent to 3,153.92, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1 per cent to 2,929.61 points.
China stocks have been largely screened from the Brexit-triggered turmoil in global markets due to its strict capital control, but after bouncing for three days in a row, traders say the rally is losing steam with no good news in sight.
Sector performance was mixed. Weakness in resources, infrastructure and transportation sectors offset gains in consumer and healthcare shares. Investors are now looking to factory and service sector activity surveys on Friday for more clues on the health of China’s economy.
Reuters
