European shares slide more than 1% as bank stocks crumble

Reuters

European shares slide more than 1% as bank stocks crumble

Aug 1, 2024 at 8:44 am GMT

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UK's Rolls-Royce surges on raising profit forecast

France's Worldline drops after cutting 2024 outlook

Bank of England cuts rates from 16-year high

European banks index has worst day since March 2023

STOXX 600 down 1.2%

Updated at 1600 GMT

By Pranav Kashyap and Shashwat Chauhan

Aug 1 (Reuters) -Europe's STOXX 600 closed more than 1% lower on Thursday, with banks leading the sell-off after Societe Generale cut a key target for its French retail division and the Bank of England lowered interest rates.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX finished down 1.2% after touching a two-week high in the previous session.

The banking sector .SX7P dropped 4.5%, its biggest single-day decline since March 2023, when the sector was rocked by the collapse of Credit Suisse and concerns over the stability of U.S. regional banks.

Societe Generale SOGN.PA tumbled almost 9% after the lender cut its guidance for its French retail net interest income, overshadowing a quarterly earnings beat.

Italy's banks-heavy benchmark index .FTMIB dropped 2.7%, while the Spanish benchmark .IBEX shed 1.9%.

Monetary policy was in focus as the Bank of England cut interest rates from a 16-year high after a tight vote by its policymakers, who were split over whether inflationary pressures had eased sufficiently.

"The move comes despite some recent evidence of stickiness in services inflation and wages. That was reflected in the statement with (BoE Governor Andrew) Bailey providing no guidance on when we can expect further easing," said Matthew Landon, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank.

"This is similar to the hawkish cut that we got from European Central Bank back in June."

Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 .FTSE closed 1% lower, shrugging off initial gains, with HSBC HSBA.L sliding 6.5%.

Lower rates could weigh on interest margins, a key source of income for lenders.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday interest rates could be cut as soon as September if the U.S. economy follows its expected path.

Germany's benchmark index .GDAXI slipped 2.3%, with BMW BMWG.DE dropping 3.1% after the automaker reported a lower than expected profit margin in its core automotive business during the second quarter.

On the economic data front, euro zone manufacturing activity remained mired in contraction in July. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) held at June's 45.8 in July. Germany's manufacturing sector continued its downturn, falling to 43.2 in July from 43.5 in June.

Among other notable stock moves, Rolls-Royce RR.L surged 7% after the British aero engine maker said it would pay a dividend for the first time since the pandemic and raised its 2024 profit and cash flow forecasts.

Worldline WLN.PA tumbled 15.3%, hitting an all-time low after the French payment technology group cut its 2024 outlook, citing a sharp decline in consumption trends across Europe and uncertainty about a potential recovery.

Reporting by Pranav Kashyap and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Mark Potter

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