MW: European stocks under pressure as commodity shares slide
European equities slid Tuesday, with sharp pullbacks among commodity shares leading the market lower for the first time in three sessions.
The Stoxx Europe 600 SXXP, -1.01% fell 0.9% to 341.78, as no sector moved higher. The worst performing sectors were basic materials SXPR, -4.42% and oil and gas SXEP, -1.86% The pan-European index on Monday rose 0.7% as mining stocks gained and as investors continued to embrace a boost in stimulus from the European Central Bank.
Copper blues: But mining shares on Tuesday were sitting at the bottom the Stoxx 600, with Antofagasta PLC ANTO, -10.29% stumbling 10%. The shares were on track for their worst loss since September 2011, according to FactSet, after Chile-based copper producer said it won’t pay a final dividend as it’s focusing on cost cuts as copper prices decline.
“Copper stands for a clear majority of Antofagasta sales (it stood for 83% of its sales in 2014) and having dropped more than a third of its value since May 2015, it has significantly damaged the 2015 results,” said Will Hedden, senior sales trader at London Capital Group, in a note.
Elsewhere in the group, copper miner Anglo American PLC AAL, -7.28% shares tumbled 7.8% and iron ore heavyweight BHP Billiton PLC BLT, -5.84% BHP, -6.22% BHP, -3.44% gave up 5.8%.
Copper prices HGK6, -0.74% for May delivery were down 0.9% on Tuesday.
Oil: Oil prices CLJ6, -2.12% LCOK6, -2.18% extended losses Tuesday, with West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude futures down more than 2% as Iran on Monday said it won’t participate in a freeze in production agreed upon by other oil-producing nations.
Shares of oil producers and oil-field services providers were hit. Tullow Oil PLC TLW, -8.42% was down 6.5% and Statoil ASA STL, -2.07% stumbled 1.8%. Energy services supplier John Wood Group PLC WG., -4.17% was tripped 5.2% lower and France’s Technip SA TEC, -1.68% moved down 1.7%.
Indexes: The losses among commodity shares hurt the U.K.’s FTSE 100 UKX, -0.62% which fell 0.6% to 6,138.66.
Germany’s DAX 30 DAX, -0.59% declined 0.5% to 9,943.44. There, shares of Volkswagen AG VOW3, -2.15% VLKAY, -2.06% pulled lower by 1.8%. The auto maker now faces a lawsuit filed in Germany on behalf of institutional investors seeking 3.3 billion euros ($3.7 billion) related to the company’s emissions-cheating scandal.
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France’s CAC 40 PX1, -0.90% fell 0.7% to 4,473.48. Italy’s FTSE MIB FTSEMIB, -1.21% was off 0.5% at 18,889.52 and Spain’s IBEX 35 IBEX, -1.50% shaved off 0.8% at 9,074.20.
The euro EURUSD, -0.0720% was buying $1.1090, little changed from $1.1098 late Monday in New York.