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* STOXX 600 down nearly 4% so far in May
* TeamViewer tumbles as PE firm Permira sells stake
* Euro zone banks hover near all-time lows
(Updates to market close)
By Sruthi Shankar
May 14 (Reuters) - A wave of selling hit European shares on
Thursday amid investor fears of a prolonged economic downturn
due to the coronavirus pandemic, driving euro zone banks to
all-time lows at one point.
The pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX closed down 2.2% to hit
its lowest level since April 22.
After recovering sharply from mid-March lows with help from
massive stimulus actions, the STOXX 600 has shed about 4% in May
on worries that the early easing of lockdowns by certain
countries will cause a second wave of infections.
Those fears were further heightened by the U.S. Federal
Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warning of a recession worse than
any since World War Two and the World Health Organization saying
that the coronavirus may never go away. Retailers .SXRP , food & beverage companies .SX3P and
industrials .SXAP led sectoral declines in Europe.
Euro STOXX 50 volatility index .V2TX , also known as the
stock market fear gauge, touched its highest level since May 5.
"In the absence of positive fundamentals, equity markets can
only be sustained by liquidity for a short period - eventually
they need something nourishing to bite into," Societe Generale's
Albert Edwards wrote in a client note.
Adding to market woes, U.S. President Donald Trump said he
was very disappointed in China over its failure to contain the
coronavirus, saying the pandemic cast a pall over his trade deal
with Beijing. Trade-sensitive automakers .SXAP dropped 2.8% as Fiat
Chrysler FCHA.MI and Peugeot PEUP.PA decided not to pay
ordinary dividends for 2019. Euro zone banks .SX7E closed down 0.7% after hitting a
record low earlier in the session. The index is down nearly 50%
this year as surging loan losses due to the pandemic and a
dividend payment freeze hit stock prices.
"There's a risk that the dividend will not be reinstated for
the current year," said Filippo Alloatti, senior credit analyst
at Federated Hermes. "This is an important element for the
equity story of eurozone banks. The sector is de facto
ex-growth."
UK homebuilder Countryside Properties CSPC.L slumped 17.3%
to the bottom of the STOXX 600 as the closure of its sites and
sales offices battered half-year revenue and profit. Portuguese retailer Jeronimo Martins JMT.LS tumbled 10.9%
after it withdrew its forecast for 2020 due to the uncertainty
stemming from the pandemic. In contrast, pan-European exchange operator Euronext
ENX.PA ga1ined 2.6% after reporting a 55% jump in quarterly
revenue, partly driven by heavy trading in March that has
propped up profits for some brokerages.
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