European Shares Fall From Record Levels

European shares retreated from record highs on Friday, as concerns about the rapidly spreading mutated delta strain of the coronavirus and regulatory moves in China outweighed optimism about the quarterly earnings season and economic recovery.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.8% by 0714 GMT, while Asian stocks are heading for the largest monthly decline since the peak of the global public isolation measures to combat the Coronavirus pandemic in March of last year.

Mining companies exposed to China were the biggest losers, dropping 2.6% in early trading.

But the benchmark is still set to end July again for the sixth consecutive month after a series of stable business results.