BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks closed broadly lower on
Thursday amid concerns about inflation and lingering uncertainty about the
outlook for Fed interest rates. Investors awaited the data on U.S. personal
consumption expenditure for clues about Fed policy moves.

Investors also braced for the first round of French parliamentary elections due
over the weekend. Higher bond yields weighed as well on markets.

The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down 0.43%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 dropped 0.55%,
and France's CAC 40 drifted down 1.03%, while Germany's DAX gained 0.3%.
Switzerland's SMI edged down 0.09%.

Among other markets in Europe, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Sweden ended
weak.

Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Turkiye closed higher. Austria
and Belgium edged up

In the UK market, Burberry Group dropped about 6.5%. GSK ended down 4.6% after a
U.S. public health agency narrowed its usage recommendation for all respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines.

Prudential, British American Tobacco and 3i Group lost 2.9 to 3.3%.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Associated British Foods, Diageo, AstraZeneca, Rio Tinto,
B&M European Value Retail, Severn Trent, Rolls-Royce Holdings and Anglo American
Plc ended down by 1.5 to 2.3%.

Smith (DS) Plc shares soared 15.7%. Mondi rallied 3.6%. Barclays Group, Admiral
Group, Airtel Africa, Halma, Smiths Group, Relx, Diploma, Rentokil Initial,
Intertek Group, Pearson, Auto Trader Group, Bunzl and Howden Joinery gained 1 to
2%.

In the German market, Rheinmetall, Sartorius, Beiersdorf and Zalando lost 2 to
3%. RWE, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Infineon and E.ON also ended notably lower.

MTU Aero Engines gained more than 5.5%. Siemens gained about 2.5%.
HeidelbergCement and Vonovia also ended sharply higher.

In the French market, Stellantis, Edenred, L'Oreal, Vinci, Pernod Ricard and
Bouygues ended lower by 2 to 4.3%. Veolia, Dassault Systemes, Engie, Essilor,
LVMH, Publicis Groupe, STMicroElectronics, Danone and Carrefour also closed
notably lower.

Kering gained 4.7%, and Unibail Rodamco climbed about 1.6%. Teleperformance and
Safran posted modest gains.

Watches of Switzerland Group, a British retailer of Swiss watches and other
luxury goods, soared 8.5%. The company said it is seeing signs of stability in
the U.K. premium and luxury watch market following a post-COVID slump in sales.

Swedish clothing major Hennes & Mauritz AB tanked 13% after posting a
smaller-than-expected increase in second quarter profits.

Eurozone economic confidence weakened unexpectedly in June, suggesting that the
economy remains weak, survey data published by the European Commission showed.

The economic confidence index posted 95.9 in June, down from 96.1 in May. The
reading was forecast to rise slightly to 96.2.

The score largely reflected broadly stable sentiment in industry, and among
consumers and service providers, while confidence in construction and retail
deteriorated from May.

UK car production declined for the third straight month in May, as factories
continued to retool for an electric mobility future, the Society of Motor
Manufacturers and Traders, or SMMT, said Thursday.

Car production declined 11.9 percent yearly to 69,652 units in May, data showed



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