EUROPEAN EQUITIES SHIFT LOWER ON THURSDAY AFTER EURO AREA INFLATION SLOWS LESS THAN EXPECTED

• European stocks shed weight after EU HICP inflation remains above 3%.
• The BoE voted to hold rates on Thursday with some contention.
• BNP Paribas tumbled after sales miss, Volvo soared after pulling Polestar funding.

European indexes broadly shed points on Thursday after investor sentiment soured with mixed Europe earnings vexing investors and inflation continues to weigh on markets hoping for rate cuts from central banks to ease financing costs.

The Bank of England (BoE) voted for both rate cuts and rate hikes at the same time on Thursday, marking the first time since 2008 UK central bank policymakers spread their votes into both rate move camps. With 6 no-change votes and rate hike votes outnumbering rate cut votes 2-to-1, markets broadly readjusted their expectations for rate cuts from the BoE, but money markets still see four rate cuts through the end of 2024