European markets were edging lower on Friday as worries about China’s faltering economy weighed on several key sectors.
The continent’s flagship Stoxx 600 index slipped 0.3%. Shares in car- and luxury goods makers were leading the selloff–China is a key market for them, and weaker-than-expected manufacturing data coming out of the Asian nation is overshadowing Beijing’s promises to revive faltering growth.
Regional bourses were also struggling. Paris’s CAC 40 tumbled 0.8%, Frankfurt’s Dax dropped 0.4%, and London’s FTSE 100 was down 0.1% in early trading.