By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch LONDON (MarketWatch) — European stock markets posted sharp losses on Monday, with miners leading the drive south after weaker-than-expected Chinese growth figures and slumping metals prices. The Stoxx Europe 600 index XX:SXXP -0.93% dropped 0.9% to 289.64, after dropping 0.9% on Friday. Mining firms led declines, keying off losses in Asia, after data showed gross domestic product for the first quarter in China expanded 7.7%, falling short of expectations of an 8% rise. In the fourth quarter last year the economy grew 7.9%. Additionally, industrial production rose 8.9% in March, well below the Dow Jones Newswires forecast for a 10% gain. “While today’s weak data certainly put into question the strength of the recovery in China, the manufacturing PMIs and leading indicators so far do not suggest that China has entered a renewed phase of deceleration in GDP growth,� analysts at Danske Bank said in a note. “We still expect GDP growth to improve in Q2 13 and China to be in a moderate recovery in 2013 but we might have to alter that view if the manufacturing PMIs start to weaken in the coming months,� they added. Metals prices also slumped after the reports, with gold prices shaving off more than $60 to around $1,436 an ounce. Shares of Randgold Resources Ltd. UK:RRS -7.20% sank 7.5% in London, Kazakhmys PLC UK:KAZ -7.05% lost 7% and Polymetal International PLC UK:POLY -7.10% gave up 7%. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index UK:UKX -1.04% dropped 1% to 6,321.50. Elsewhere in Europe, shares of drug maker Roche Holding AG CH:ROG +1.11% rose 1.1% to 227.4 Swiss francs ($245), as J.P. Morgan Cazenove reiterated its overweight rating on the stock and lifted the target price to 280 Swiss francs from 270 francs. Other drug makers were also higher, with shares of Novartis AG CH:NOVN +0.22% NVS -0.05% up 0.4% and Sanofi SA FR:SAN +1.17% SNY -0.36% 1.1% higher. Shares of Sky Deutschland AG DE:SKYD +2.76% gained 3.5%, after J.P. Morgan Cazenove raised the firm to overweight from neutral, citing higher confidence in profitability and margins. Germany’s DAX 30 index DX:DAX -0.74% traded 0.8% lower at 7,687.57, with shares of Deutsche Bank AG DE:DBK -1.80% DB -2.15% off 1.3%. In France, the CAC 40 index FR:PX1 -0.85% lost 0.9% to 3,696.92. Accor SA FR:AC -5.01% slid 4.9%, after Credit Suisse cut the hotels operator to underperform from outperform. Oil giant Total SA FR:FP -1.28% TOT -0.93% slipped 1.4%, tracking oil prices lower. Shares of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA FR:SGO +1.51% advanced 1.6%, as Bank of America Merrill Lynch lifted the construction firm to buy from underperform. Sara Sjolin is a MarketWatch reporter based in London. Follow her on Twitter @sarasjolin.

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