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UPDATE 2-European stocks end four weeks of gains on lockdown, vaccine worries

Published 15/01/2021, 10:42
© Reuters.
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(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock
markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window)
* STOXX 600 logs 0.8% weekly decline
* Mining, oil stocks weigh on markets
* EU vaccine shipments fall short

(Updates to market close)
By Amal S and Sruthi Shankar
Jan 15 (Reuters) - European stocks snapped four weeks of
gains on Friday, as the prospect of tighter lockdowns, slow
vaccine shipments to the continent and resurgent coronavirus
cases in China dampened hopes of a speedy economic recovery.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX closed down 1% in
its worst session since Dec. 21, with losses accelerating after
Wall Street stocks tumbled following big bank earnings. .N
The STOXX 600 logged a 0.8% weekly decline, its first weekly
decline since mid-December.
Adding to worries, some EU nations are receiving fewer than
expected doses of coronavirus vaccines as U.S. pharmaceutical
firm Pfizer PFE.N slowed shipments of the vaccine developed
with German partner BioNTech 22UAy.DE . BioNTech shares dropped
2.2%. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for "very fast
action" to counter the spread of coronavirus as the country saw
a record number of virus-related deaths, while France said it
would strengthen its border controls from Monday.
The German DAX .GDAXI dropped 1.4% and France's CAC 40
.FCHI fell 1.2%. UK's FTSE 100 .FTSE declined 1% despite
data showing that Britain's economy recorded a
smaller-than-expected contraction in November. Mining .SXPP and oil & gas .SXEP sectors slumped 3.1%
and 2.6%, respectively, after Chinese authorities put more than
28 million people under new lockdowns, raising concerns about
demand from the major consumer of commodities. Hopes of a large U.S. fiscal stimulus sent the STOXX 600 to
a 11-month peak earlier this week, but markets retreated after
U.S. president-elect Joe Biden outlined a $1.9 trillion proposal
that raised worries of a tax hike. "Market positioning had been quite aggressive, so I suppose
it is a pause for breath," said Roger Jones, head of equities at
London & Capital.
"The rollout and the speed of vaccination is becoming
increasingly important and the market is willing to look through
a period of extended lockdown if it's a relatively short
period."
German business software group SAP SAPG.DE closed down
0.7%, reversing early gains after it released preliminary annual
results that came at the high end of guidance. Siemens Energy AG ENR1n.DE fell 6.3% after General
Electric Co GE.N accused a subsidiary of the power
distribution company of using stolen trade secrets to rig bids
for lucrative contracts. French grocer Carrefour CARR.PA fell almost 3% after the
French government all but killed off a possible $20 billion
takeover by Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard ATDb.TO .

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