(Reuters) – European shares dropped on Thursday, led by travel and leisure stocks, as investors grew wary of an economic downturn following a slew of recent weak data out of Germany and keenly awaited a GDP print from the euro zone.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.3% by 0810 GMT after touching a more than four-month high on Wednesday.
Data showed Germany’s industrial production unexpectedly fell in October, a day after industrial orders in the 20-nation bloc’s largest economy also slipped, showcasing a struggling industrial sector.
Germany’s DAX fell 0.2% after scaling a fresh all-time high on Wednesday.
A rise in euro zone bond yields, mirroring their global peers, also weighed on equities.
On the data front, euro zone final third-quarter GDP is due at 1000 GMT.
U.S. initial jobless claims, due later in the day, will also be monitored following growing evidence of labour market weakness.
Games Workshop lost 8.9% after its half-year trading update, while Lufthansa shed 3.9% after J.P.Morgan cut the German air carrier to “underweight” from “overweight”, steering a 1% drop in travel and leisure.
Sanofi gained 1% after it said it has a dozen drug candidates with annual sales potential of more than $1 billion in development.
(Reporting by Khushi Singh and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)
