European stocks slipped, paring a weekly gain, as miners and energy companies retreated.
A gauge of commodity producers posted the biggest decline of the 19 industry groups on the STOXX Europe 600 Index as Societe Generale SA said iron ore prices might extend losses. BHP Billiton Ltd slid 2.6 percent. Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Total SA contributed the most to a drop in energy stocks, as oil prices fell.
The STOXX 600 declined 0.2 percent to 397.8 at the close of trading, paring its weekly gain to 0.6 percent. Shares briefly erased losses after US factory-order data beat forecasts. The equity gauge has jumped 16 percent this year amid optimism European Central Bank (ECB) stimulus will revive the region’s economy, while a weakening euro will boost profits. The rally propelled valuations to the highest in at least a decade last month.
“Everything looks expensive and we’re probably due a pullback soon,” Seven Investment Management chief investment strategist Ros Price said in London. “Central banks have made asset prices go up — let’s see what they can really do to the economy. I’d say watch things carefully in April and be prepared. Yes, Europe’s recovery is picking up, but it’s still very fragile.”
ECB minutes released on Thursday showed policymakers are prepared to alter the pace of bond-buying if necessary. While ECB Governing Council members currently deem the scope of their quantitative easing program appropriate, this assessment might change over time, as higher-than-usual uncertainty surrounds current economic projections, according to the minutes of the group’s March 4-5 meeting.
The volume of STOXX 600 shares changing hands was 34 percent lower than the 30-day average, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Markets in Denmark, Iceland and Norway were shut on Thursday, while Sweden opened for a half day. All European bourses were closed for the Easter holiday on Friday and will remain closed tomorrow.
Traders also watched US economic reports, after the US Federal Reserve said the timing of its first interest rate increase since 2006 will be data-dependent.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG slipped 2.6 percent after Barclays PLC cut its recommendation on the airline to equal weight, similar to hold, from overweight.
Among stocks moving on corporate news, Marks & Spencer Group PLC added 4.4 percent after saying sales at its general merchandise unit rose for the first time since 2011. Royal KPN NV climbed 2.8 percent after saying it received interest from several parties about the acquisition of its Belgian mobile phone business base.
China has claimed a breakthrough in developing homegrown chipmaking equipment, an important step in overcoming US sanctions designed to thwart Beijing’s semiconductor goals. State-linked organizations are advised to use a new laser-based immersion lithography machine with a resolution of 65 nanometers or better, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in an announcement this month. Although the note does not specify the supplier, the spec marks a significant step up from the previous most advanced indigenous equipment — developed by Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co (SMEE, 上海微電子) — which stood at about 90 nanometers. MIIT’s claimed advances last
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