By Israeli Gunfire

Copyright qna

Brussels, September 25 (QNA) – European stocks retreated on Thursday under pressure from losses in the healthcare and industrials sectors in early trading, with focus on remarks from a number of Federal Reserve (US central bank) policymakers and data scheduled later in the day to clarify the path of monetary policy.

The pan‑European STOXX 600 index fell 0.5 percent to 551.3 points.

Most European stock exchanges also opened lower, with both Germany’s benchmark index and the UK’s FTSE 100 down 0.4 percent.

The healthcare stocks index dropped 1.1 percent, with German medical technology firm Siemens Healthineers falling 6 percent.

British medical device maker Smith and Nephew also slipped by 1.1 percent.

Losses also included the construction and building materials sector, which fell 1.1 percent, and the industrial goods and services sector, down 0.6 percent. (QNA)