Europe: Shares gain on healthcare boost; miners, energy lag
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EUROPEAN shares closed higher on Monday, rebounding from a near one-week low, as gains in retail and healthcare outpaced the fall in miners and energy, both bruised by concerns over China’s embattled property sector.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed the day 0.2 per cent higher, bouncing back from a more than 1 per cent decline on Friday.
The healthcare sector gained 0.3 per cent, with Philips jumping 4.4 per cent after Dutch investment firm Exor NV took a 15 per cent stake in the company. Exor dipped 0.3 per cent.
The retail sector index was the top gainer, up 0.8 per cent, with B&M European Retail gaining 3 per cent following a Deutsche Bank price target raise.
However, miners and energy stocks led losses tracking lower crude oil and base metal prices on deteriorating demand outlook in top consumer China, reinforced by debt problems in its property sector.
Reuters reported Country Garden is seeking to delay payment on a private onshore bond for the first time after suspending trading in 11 onshore bonds.
The European basic resources index ended 1.5 per cent lower, touching an over 10-month low intraday, while the energy sector closed 0.8 per cent down.
Other China-exposed sectors like luxury lost 0.1 per cent, while lenders Prudential, HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered shed between 0.5 per cent and 0.7 per cent.
“The China story’s negative for European markets, especially for the more export-oriented ones such as Germany, as China is seen as the key export market,” said Andrea Cicione, head of research at GlobalData.TSLombard.
“We might be nearing the point where the bad news stops having an effect and maybe the government provides the kind of response that the market feels comfortable with... However, we don’t expect a large-scale stimulus.”
The benchmark Stoxx 600 has come off its over one-year highs hit last month as ballooning growth concerns in China and sharp movements in bond yields have pressured equities.
Commodity-heavy European bourses also lagged, with UK’s FTSE 100 and Norway’s Oslo SE All-Share Index falling 0.2 per cent and 0.3 per cent, respectively.
Geopolitical issues also dented investor sentiment after a Russian warship fired warning shots on a cargo ship in the Black Sea over the weekend, with Ukraine condemning the move and calling for decisive countermeasures by the international community.
Economic data due this week include a flash estimate of euro-zone second-quarter GDP, fresh euro-zone inflation and British consumer prices.
Among individual movers, German dialysis specialist Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) dropped 5.1 per cent to the bottom of the Stoxx 600 following a UBS downgrade to “sell” from “neutral”. REUTERS
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