The pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.4 percent, but remained up 3.9 percent this month.
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Mining stocks push the European index lower
The European Stoxx 600 index closed lower today, Thursday, as declines in shares of mining and health care companies overshadowed gains in engineering and technology group Siemens, which helped the German index outperform its regional peers.
The European “STOXX 600” index fell 0.4 percent, but it remained up 3.9 percent this month and is on track to achieve gains for the second month in a row, due to several factors, including better-than-expected earnings, despite fears of a recession in the euro zone.
The German index ended up 0.2 percent, boosted by a 7 percent jump in Siemens following it reported positive results for the fourth quarter and gave an optimistic glimpse of future industrial demand.
The European basic resources index fell 1.7 percent, leading sectoral indices to decline, following the decline in basic metal prices in the face of the dollar’s rise.