BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks ended sharply lower on Thursday, rocked by reports that the Russian forces hit many in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight, resulting in several explosions.
The movement of a huge column of Russian military vehicles near the Ukrainian capital earlier in the week clearly indicated a launch of a large-scale attack on the city by Russia.
The Russian forces have already seized control of Kharkiv, a key port city in Southern Ukraine.
Shares from travel and financial sectors were among the major losers in European markets today.
The pan European Stoxx 600 tumbled 2.01%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 drifted down 2.57%, Germany's DAX shed 2.16%, France's CAC 40 ended 1.84% down, while Switzerland's SMI lost 1.65%.
Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden ended weak.
Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland and Turkey closed higher.
In the UK market, Polymetal International, which has substantial exposure to Russia, fell as much as 42%. ITV tanked 27.5%, Admiral Group slid 14.1% and Evraz plunged 11.5%.
Melrose Industries, IAG, Hargreaves Lansdown, ICP, WPP, Airtel Africa, Shell, Kingfisher, Standard Chartered and Mondi lost 5 to 8.5%.
Barclays Group, ABRDN, AstraZeneca, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, BP, Coca-Cola HBC, BAE Systems and Imperial Brands lost more than 4%.
Shares of London Stock Exchange Group soared nearly 10%. Glencore climbed about 5.3%.
In the German market, RWE shed more than 8.5%. Daimler ended lower by about 8%. Continental, HelloFresh, MTU Aero Engines, BASF, Zalando, Deutsche Wohnen, BMW, Sartorius, Henkel, Covestro and HeidelbergCement declined 3 to 5.2%.
Deutsche Bank, Volkswagen, Adidas, Porsche Automobil, Fresenius Medical Care and Munich RE also declined sharply, while Merck gained about 1.3%.
In Paris, Faurecia plunged more than 9%. Valeo, Publicis Groupe, Engie, Renault, Accor, Sodexo, Airbus Group, Air France-KLM, Safran and LVMH lost 3 to 7%.
Thales gained about 3.8% posted a rise in earnings for the fiscal 2021, amidst an increase in revenue and order intake. Atos and BNP Paribas both ended stronger by about 1.6%.
In economic news, the eurozone private sector activity rebounded at the fastest pace since last September, following January's slowdown, final survey results from IHS Markit showed.
The composite output index rose to 55.5 in February from 52.3 in the previous month. The flash reading was 55.8.
The services Purchasing Managers' Index came in at 55.5, up from 51.1 a month ago. The reading was revised from 55.8.
The German private sector enjoyed its strongest growth for six months in February. Nonetheless, the final composite output index improved less than initially estimated to 55.6 from 53.8 in January. The flash score was 56.2.
Similarly, the services PMI rose to 55.8, up from 52.2 in January, but down from the flash 56.6.
France's private sector business activity grew at a faster rate in February, gaining momentum once again after the slump in January caused by resurgent COVID-19 cases.
The final composite output index increased to 55.5 in February, up from January's nine-month low of 52.7 but below the flash 57.4. Likewise, the services PMI also came in at 55.5 versus 53.1 a month ago. The preliminary reading was 57.9.
The euro area unemployment rate declined in January, figures from Eurostat showed. The jobless rate dropped to 6.8% in January from 7% in December. The rate was forecast to remain at 7%.
Eurozone producer prices grew sharply in January on surging energy prices, Eurostat reported Thursday. Producer price inflation advanced to 30.6% in January from 26.3% in December. The rate was also well above the expected 26.9%.
The UK service sector growth accelerated sharply in February as the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, final survey results from IHS Markit showed.
The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply final services Purchasing Managers' Index rose sharply to 60.5 in February from 54.1 in January. The index signaled the fastest growth since last June but the score was below the flash 60.8.
Data from the Federal Statistical Office showed Swiss consumer prices grew the most since 2008, rising 2.2% in February, following a 1.6% increase in January. Economists had forecast a rise of 1.8%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices grew 0.7% in February, following a 0.2% rise in the previous month.
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