BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks fell on Tuesday as weak Chinese data rekindled growth concerns.
China's official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing unexpectedly fell to 50.1 in April from 50.5 in March, while the Caixin-Markit China PMI slipped to 50.2 against the 50.8 reading in the previous month. Growth in China's services sector also slowed in the month, an official survey showed.
Closer home, Germany's unemployment continued to decline in April and the jobless figure dropped more than double the pace expected, while the forward-looking GfK consumer sentiment held steady, supported by robust improvement in income expectations and the propensity to buy.
Eurozone GDP grew 0.4 percent sequentially in the three months to March 2019, beating forecasts for 0.3 percent growth.
On an annualized basis, the bloc's economic growth rose from 1.1 percent to 1.2 percent. The region's jobless rate dropped to 7.7 percent in March versus 7.8 percent expected.
The pan European Stoxx 600 was down 0.2 percent at 390.61 in opening deals after closing up 0.1 percent on Monday.
The German DAX, France's CAC 40 index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 were down between 0.1 percent and 0.4 percent.
Miners fell as the latest data from China underscored lingering concerns about the global economy.
Antofagasta and Anglo American dropped over 1 percent, while Glencore lost 3 percent after cutting its 2019 copper production target.
Banks were in focus, with Standard Chartered shares climbing 4.6 percent after it announced a share buyback of up to $1 billion.
Danske Bank slumped 8.2 percent after lowering its 2019 outlook while Nordea Bank lost 3 percent on posting a bigger-than-expected drop in first-quarter profit.
German airline Lufthansa fell 1.3 percent after its first-quarter net loss widened.
Chipmaker AMS soared 18 percent after issuing an upbeat outlook.
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