By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stocks pulled lower Thursday,
with investors assessing a crop of corporate financial updates and
monitoring diplomatic talks about the crisis in Ukraine.
The Stoxx Europe 600 lost 0.2% to 330.18, giving up a portion of
its 1.3% climb on Wednesday, which was spurred by
better-than-expected Chinese growth data and prospects for looser
monetary policy by the European Central Bank.
Among those pacing decliners on the pan-European index Thursday
were liquor makers Rémy Cointreau SA and Diageo PLC. Shares of Rémy
fell 3.6% after the company warned that annual operating profit
could fall between 35% and 40%.
Britain's Diageo , whose brands include Smirnoff vodka and
Guinness stout, fell 3.7% after posting a sales decline.
Investors were also keeping tabs on any developments from
diplomatic talks between Ukraine, Russia, the European Union and
the U.S. as they discuss Ukraine's growing political crisis and
tensions with Russia. On Thursday, three pro-Russian protesters
were killed and 13 wounded after a clash with Ukrainian authorities
at a military installation in the southeastern city of
Mariupol.
In London, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% to 6,572.91, and Germany's
DAX 30 fell 0.1% to 9,311.68. But France's CAC 40 was up by 0.2% at
4,411.48, led by a 2.6% increase for Publicis Groupe SA , as the
advertising and public relations firm logged first-quarter sales
growth.
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