Europe: Shares fall early, tracking drop on Wall Street

[PARIS] European shares fell on Monday, tracking a sell-off on Wall Street after strong US jobs data fanned expectations that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates sooner than previously thought.

Also weighing on sentiment, data showed German exports in January fell by the largest amount since August, dropping far more than expected, while data from China showed a slide in imports.

At 0803 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.5 per cent at 1,562.39 points.

The S&P 500 lost 1.4 per cent on Friday and posted a weekly loss for a second straight week.

REUTERS