The pan-European STOXX 600 index slipped 0.1 per cent, failing to match Wall Street gains on signs that US lawmakers were making progress on a US$2.2 trillion stimulus package that could be voted on next week. — Reuters pic
The index shed 3.6 per cent in a week dominated by concerns about new coronavirus restrictions in Europe, a faltering stock rally in Wall Street's technology giants and worrying economic data from both sides of the Atlantic. European banks sank to a fresh record low as investors shunned the sector hit by a cocktail of lower global borrowing costs, rising bad loans due to the economic downturn and dirty money scandal that made it the worst performer this week.
Still, worries about new travel restrictions weighed on airlines, with British Airways-owner IAG, Lufthansa and Air France KLM down between 0.6 per cent and 3.3 per cent.