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By 0707 GMT, the pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.3%.
Italian banks such as Intesa Sanpaolo (OTC:ISNPY) and UniCredit fell more than 5% after Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said the 40% levy on banks’ extra profits will feed items such as a reduction of the tax wedge, tax cuts and financial support to holders of mortgages on first homes.
Italy’s banking-heavy FTSE MIB slid 1.4%, while European banks dropped 1.8% after ratings agency Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) cut credit ratings of several small- to mid-sized U.S. banks and said it may downgrade some of the biggest lenders in the United States.
Germany’s DAX index fell 0.4% after data showed inflation eased to 6.5% in July, but was in line with economist expectations.
China-exposed miners and automakers fell after data revealed imports and exports in the world’s second-largest economy fell much faster than expected in July, threatening growth prospects and heightening pressure on Beijing to provide fresh stimulus.
Shares of Glencore (OTC:GLNCY) slumped nearly 3% after the global miner said its earnings had halved in the first half. (This story has been corrected to say inflation eased, not accelerated, in paragraph 5)
