European stocks fell on Friday as retailers came under pressure following the start of the holiday shopping season amid fears of a sharp slowdown in the global economy and a sharp rise in inflation.
The Stoxx 600 index was down 0.1% by 0811 GMT, below a three-month high hit earlier this week.
The European retail index fell 0.6 percent on Friday, which falls on (Black Friday), and marks the start of the holiday shopping season. This year comes amid an exacerbation of the living crisis and preoccupation with the FIFA World Cup.
This index is among the worst performing in Europe, having fallen 32 percent since the beginning of the year.
Despite Friday’s decline, the STOXX 600 index is poised to record gains for the sixth consecutive week, supported by indications that the Federal Reserve (the US central bank) may ease the pace of raising interest rates.
Data published on Friday showed that the German economy grew slightly higher in the third quarter than initially estimated, supported by consumer spending.