BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The European markets ended Wednesday's session solidly in negative territory. A number of factors weighed on investor sentiment, including a weak batch of European economic data. Uncertainty over the political situation in Italy also played a role, as President Mattarella has yet to approve the coalition government's Prime Minister candidate, Giuseppe Conte.
Comments from U.S. President Donald Trump also contributed to the negative mood Wednesday. Trump said he was 'not really' pleased with the U.S.-China trade talks so far and that there was a 'substantial chance' his planned summit with North Korean leader Kin Jong Un in June may not work out.
The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index weakened by 1.09 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks decreased 1.27 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, lost 1.15 percent.
The DAX of Germany dropped 1.47 percent and the CAC of France fell 1.32 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 1.13 percent and the SMI of Switzerland finished lower by 1.58 percent.
In Paris, Euronext sank 6.27 percent after UBS downgraded its rating on the stock to 'Sell' from 'Neutral.'
In London, Rio Tinto fell 3.09 percent after the mining giant said it is in talks about the potential sale of its stake in Indonesia's Grasberg mine for A$3.5 billion.
British retailer Marks & Spencer Group rallied 5.17 percent after announcing it would close 100 stores by 2022.
Babcock International Group rose 2.56 percent after it reported profit before tax of 391.1 million pounds for the full year 2018 compared to 362.1 million pounds in the previous year.
Julius Baer Group dropped 3.42 percent in Zurich. The bank said its assets under management rose 3 percent in the first four months of 2018.
Eurozone private sector grew at the weakest pace in one-and-a-half years in May with the rate of expansion slowing for the fourth consecutive month, flash survey data from IHS Markit showed Wednesday.
The composite output index dropped to an 18-month low of 54.1 in May from 55.1 in April. The score was forecast to remain unchanged at 55.1.
Germany's private sector activity expanded at the weakest pace in twenty months in May, preliminary survey results from IHS Markit showed Wednesday. The composite output index dropped to 53.1 in May from 54.6 in April.
France's private sector growth slowed to a 16-month low in May, flash survey data from IHS Markit showed Wednesday. The flash composite output index fell more-than-expected to 54.5 in May from 56.9 in April. The score was seen at 56.8.
France's unemployment rate increased in the first quarter, the statistical office Insee said Wednesday. The ILO jobless rate in metropolitan France and the overseas departments rose to 9.2 percent from revised 9 percent in the fourth quarter.
UK inflation continued to slow to reach a 13-month low in April, driven by air fares, adding doubts about the timing of the next rate hike by the Bank of England. Consumer prices climbed 2.4 percent year-on-year in April, slightly slower than the 2.5 percent increase seen in March, the Office for National Statistics reported Wednesday.
This was the lowest since March 2017, when the rate was 2.3 percent. Inflation was expected to remain unchanged at 2.5 percent.
British house price inflation held steady in March after easing in the previous two months, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed Wednesday. The house price index climbed 4.2 percent year-over-year in March, the same rate of rise as in February, which was revised down from a 4.4 percent increase reported earlier.
A report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed a pullback in new home sales in the U.S. in the month of April. The report said new home sales fell by 1.5 percent to an annual rate of 662,000 in April after jumping by 2 percent to a revised rate of 672,000 in March.
Economists had expected new home sales to drop to a rate of 679,000 from the 694,000 originally reported for the previous month.
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