Europe open: Shares slide again on weak US markets
European shares were on the slide at the open on Friday following weaker US and Asia markets as geopolitical tensions over Ukraine persisted.
The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was down 0.83% as investors digested US GDP data overnight and similar figures from France and Sweden, with German growth numbers due later.
French data showed the economy last year expanded at the strongest rate in 52 years at 7%. Sweden beat expectations with growth of 6.4%.
In equity news, shares in Henkel & Co fell 7% as the company said it planned to merge its laundry-and-home-care and beauty-care divisions into one unit and announced a share-buyback program with a total value of up to €1bn.
IG Group slumped after shareholder TCMI sold 15.5m shares in the online trading platform.
Shares in Phoenix Group fell as Abrdn sold just under 40m shares in a placing to institutional investors, raising gross proceeds of around £264m.
Luxury goods maker LVMH gained after its fourth-quarter sales growth accelerated, while rivals Kering and Hermes were also higher on a readacross.
Sweden's H&M jumped more than 6.3% after the fashion retailer posted a bigger profit rise than expected for the September-November period.
Lighting maker Signify hit the top of the Stoxx with a 9.6% rise after reporting higher quarterly earnings.