The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.3% at 553.2 points
European shares track Wall Street lower; financials lead losses
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European shares fell on Wednesday with financials leading losses, tracking declines on Wall Street after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's remarks, though gains in defence-related stocks helped limit the damage.
The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.3% at 553.2 points, as of 0829 GMT. Most regional bourses also ticked lower, with the Italian benchmark at the helm of losses, down 0.4%.
Heavyweight banks dropped 0.8%, with Denmark's Sydbank and UK's Barclays down about 2% each. Germany's Deutsche Bank and Spain's BBVA fell about 1% each.
The subindex for financial services dipped 1.2%.
Healthcare stocks slipped 0.6%, with heavyweights AstraZeneca and Roche down about 1% each.
Wall Street's main indexes fell overnight as investors parsed through Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks, which gave little indication about the future path of interest rates.
"When Powell reminded investors on Tuesday that further cuts are not guaranteed, markets recoiled," BCA Research analysts said in a note.
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