ROME: European equities have closed lower on fresh worries over Greece, and as investors cashed in gains after London surged to a record peak the previous day.
London’s FTSE 100 index ended Thursday 0.5 per cent down at 7,060 points, after having soared the previous day to a record intra-day high of 7,111.72.
In Paris, the benchmark CAC 40 index closed 0.6 per cent lower at 5,224 points, and Frankfurt’s DAX 30 slid 1.9 per cent to 11,998.86 compared with Wednesday’s close.
Madrid’s Ibex 35 shed 1.4 per cent, while Milan’s FTSE Mib dropped 1.8 per cent as eurozone tussles with Greece loomed large in investors’ minds.
“Worries over the Greek situation appear to be increasing, with the EU indicating that Greece’s negotiations with international creditors are going very slowly and are nowhere near the point where bailout money can be released,” Augustin Eden at Accendo Markets said.
“The Greek government is running out of money fast and threatening to default on its next debt repayment if funds are not made available.”
The region’s equities had rebounded on Wednesday as weak Chinese economic growth data stoked Beijing stimulus hopes while the European Central Bank pledged to fully implement its stimulus measures.
