European shares led down by Sweden's Elekta

[LONDON] European shares fell on Wednesday, extending the previous session's losses and starting June on a muted note, with Sweden's Elekta the worst performer after a set of disappointing results.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index fell 0.5 per cent, extending a fall of 0.8 per cent in the previous session. The STOXX Europe 600 index also fell 0.5 per cent.

Both indexes had posted a third straight month of gains despite the falls on the last trading day of May. It was the biggest monthly rise for the indexes since November.

Care company Elekta was the top STOXX 600 faller, down as much as 7 per cent after its first quarter earnings lagged. It also said that its performance in the first half in general would be weak.

REUTERS