Weak German data, earnings weigh on European stocks

This would come after the European Central Bank's bigger-than-expected 50 basis points hike last week. The STOXX 600 has lost almost 13% this year as investors worry that aggressive monetary policy tightening to help tame surging inflation and the fallout from the Ukraine conflict could pressure economic growth.

European shares edged lower on Monday as German business morale fell more than expected in July and a slew of downbeat earnings underlined rising worries about a hit to economic growth. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.1%, after logging its best weekly gain in two months on Friday. Losses were led by oil producers as crude prices fell on demand worries.

Germany's Ifo institute showed high energy prices and the threat of gas shortages weighed on business sentiment in Europe's largest economy in July. This comes after a survey over the weekend showed a number of industrial companies in Germany are cutting production in reaction to soaring energy prices. Last week, euro zone-wide data showed PMIs unexpectedly shrank in July.

"The market is once again expressing fears about a dimming economic outlook and possible recession," said Stuart Cole, a head macroeconomist at Equiti Capital. "Until we see firm signs that we are approaching a bottoming out in economic data, or that the Fed's position is changing in favour of a more dovish tone, equity markets will remain pressured."

Investors widely expect the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by another 75 basis points when it concludes a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday. This would come after the European Central Bank's bigger-than-expected 50 basis points hike last week.

The STOXX 600 has lost almost 13% this year as investors worry that aggressive monetary policy tightening to help tame surging inflation and the fallout from the Ukraine conflict could pressure economic growth. Banks, which benefit in a high-interest rate environment, were the only cyclical sector in the black and helped lender-heavy main indices in Spain and Italy rise, outperforming regional peers.

Volkswagen fell 3.4% after Chief Executive Herbert Diess was forced to step down from his four-year tenure. Dutch medical equipment maker Philips tumbled 10.2% on a worse-than-expected drop in second-quarter core earnings, citing supply shortages and lockdowns in China.

Pharma company Almirall SA fell 3.3% on missing core earnings expectations.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)