European shares drop to one-week lows on tech slide, China woes

European stocks sank to their lowest in a week on Tuesday as a surge in government bond yields knocked high-growth technology shares, with fresh signs of a slowdown in China’s economy weighing on investor sentiment.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 1.3 percent, falling for a third session as a jump in U.S. Treasury yields signalled that investors were bracing for higher rates and the risk of persistent inflation.

Global shares were also down for a third successive day, while bond yields on both sides of the Atlantic soared on anxiety over when central banks might raise interest rates.

MSCI’s All Country World Index, which tracks shares across 49 countries, was down 0.3 percent on the day after the start of trading in Europe.

Britain’s FTSE 100 index fell 0.5 percent, while Germany’s DAX fell 0.8 percent. France’s CAC 40 fell 1.1 percent and Italy’s FTSE MIB index slipped 0.6 percent.

Technology stocks fell 3.7 percent to hit a one-month low after their Wall Street peers tumbled overnight. They are particularly sensitive to rising interest rate expectations as their value rests heavily on future earnings, which are discounted more deeply when rates go up.

Meanwhile, data showed profit growth at China’s industrial firms slowed for a sixth month in August, with an unfolding power crisis becoming a growing threat to output and profits.

“The pandemic situation remains unresolved. The Chinese economy is slowing and authorities have yet to stimulate forcefully. The Fed is preparing to normalize policy. And the debt ceiling showdown is ongoing,” analysts at BCA Research wrote in a note.

“Heightened uncertainty combined with elevated speculation suggests that the near-term path will be bumpy.”

While the benchmark STOXX 600 is on course to extend its quarterly winning run, a volatile September took some shine off its third-quarter gains as investors priced in risks of easing global growth momentum and tighter monetary policies.

However, a rally in Brent crude futures above $80 per barrel continued to support energy stocks, with the oil and gas index rising 0.9 percent to fresh highs since February 2020.