UPDATE 2-Soaring virus cases knock European stocks off 10-month high

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* Miners, travel stocks fall on renewed virus fears
* Britain warns next few weeks of pandemic to be the worst
* JD Sports jumps on upbeat 2021 profit outlook

(Updates to market close)
By Sruthi Shankar
Jan 11 (Reuters) - European stocks fell on Monday after a
strong rally last week took them to the highest level in more
than 10 months, retreating as surging coronavirus cases across
the continent and mainland China looked likely to dent a global
economic recovery.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX fell 0.7%, easing
from its February 2020 peak hit on Friday.
Germany's DAX index .GDAXI shed 0.8% after hitting
all-time highs last week and France's CAC 40 .FCHI was also
down 0.8%, while London's FTSE 100 .FTSE dropped 1.1%.
Investors piled into undervalued sectors of the market
including banks, energy and mining last week after a Democratic
sweep in the U.S. Senate elections raised expectations of larger
U.S. fiscal stimulus. Wall Street and Asian stocks hit all-time
highs last week, while UK equities added more than 6%.
"What's driving the market is optimism that we will have
more U.S. fiscal stimulus, but the question is are all the
prerequisites for a real reflation in place," said Elwin de
Groot, Rabobank's head of macro strategy.
"I would say the answer to that is no. We still need to cope
with the new wave of virus infections, and it's taking quite a
bit of time in many countries to rollout vaccines."
Most of Europe was under the strictest restrictions after
the continent became the first to report 25 million coronavirus
cases last week, while China saw its biggest daily increase in
infections in more than five months. UK markets lagged after a top medical adviser said the
pandemic's worst weeks were imminent as a new, more
transmissible variant of the disease surges through the
population.
Mining stocks .SXPP shed 1.7% as a stronger dollar and
worries about demand weighed on metal prices. MET/L
Travel & leisure .SXTP stocks fell the most as Carnival
Corp CCL.N CCL.L reported a bigger-than-expected preliminary
quarterly net loss as the cruise operator's business was brought
to a virtual standstill by the COVID-19 pandemic. Swiss drugmaker Roche ROG.S gained 3.7% after the European
Commission approved its Xofluza to treat influenza in patients
aged 12 years and above. Britain's biggest sportswear retailer JD Sports JD.L rose
3.8% after it forecast fiscal 2021 profit to be "significantly
ahead" of current market expectations. Danish jewellery maker Pandora PNDORA.CO inched up 0.4%
after it said new lockdown measures had forced it to close a
quarter of its stores at the beginning of the year, even as it
raised full-year earnings guidance.