(Reuters) – European shares opened on a sombre note on Thursday as investors returned after a mid-week holiday to parse a slew of big-ticket earnings and the Federal Reserve signalling a delay in interest rate cuts.
The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.2% by 0715 GMT, after logging its first monthly decline this year in April.
Investors were back after the Labour day holiday on Wednesday, a day that saw the Fed signal rates would stay higher for longer owing to recent disappointing inflation readings.
Energy stocks dropped 1.7%, with Vestas losing 4.2% after the world’s largest wind turbines maker reported a surprise first-quarter loss.
Novo Nordisk raised its 2024 outlook and delivered better-than-expected first-quarter profit. The stock, however, fell 2.4% after erasing early gains.
Netherlands’ ING Groep jumped 5.4% after a 2.5 billion euro ($2.68 billion) share buyback and a strong first-quarter performance. Britain’s Standard Chartered climbed 5% following a first-quarter profit beat, boosting the bank index to top the sectoral gainers’ list.
French office services and call centre company Teleperformance soared 15.4% following higher first-quarter sales.
($1 = 0.9327 euros)
(Reporting by Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema)
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