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Weaker energy stocks hit European equities, Greek shares slump

* FTSEurofirst 300 falls 1.2 pct, Greek shares sink 10.2 pct

* Tesco (Xetra: 852647 - news) slumps after another profit warning

* Energy stocks track weaker crude oil prices (Adds quotes, detail)

By Alistair Smout

LONDON, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 9 (Reuters) - European shares hit a two-week low on Tuesday with a further slide in crude oil prices hurting energy stocks, while the Greek market sank after the country's presidential election was unexpectedly brought forward.

The STOXX Europe 600 Oil and Gas dropped 1.2 percent after Brent oil slipped to a five-year low below $66 on worries over a swelling supply glut.

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The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 1.2 percent at 1,378.50 points by 1151 GMT, after falling to its lowest since late November with energy companies BP, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW.L - news) , Statoil (Xetra: 675213 - news) and Total falling 1.7 to 2.1 percent.

"Lower energy prices are set to enhance consumer demand, while a stronger dollar will have an increasingly positive effect on European exports. The earnings estimates of consumer-oriented and cyclical sectors will improve in this environment," Christian Stocker, strategist at UniCredit (Milan: UCG.MI - news) in Munich, said.

"But commodity sectors like basic resources and oil and gas are set to remain under pressure given the pronounced excess supply of important industrial metals and oil."

Across Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.2 percent, Germany's DAX was down 0.9 percent and France's CAC dropped 1.3 percent.

Greek stocks sank 10.2 percent, a day after the government announced it would bring forward a presidential vote by two months in a political gamble that heightened uncertainty over the country's transition out of its bailout.

Greek banks fell sharply, with National Bank (NYSE: NBHC - news) of Greece down 12.7 percent and Alpha Bank (Other OTC: ALBWF - news) dropping 13.2 percent.

Spain's IBEX and Italy's FTSE MIB fell 1.6 percent and 1.4 percent respectively, slightly underperforming core euro zone countries but off their lows.

"Compared to the height of the euro zone crisis, the political uncertainty is being limited to Athens at the moment, but that could change if the left-wing party win later in the month," Brenda Kelly, chief market strategist at IG (LSE: IGG.L - news) said.

Greece's far-left Syriza party, which has vowed to end cooperation with lenders and reverse austerity measures, is currently leading in opinion polls.

Shares (Frankfurt: DI6.F - news) in British grocer Tesco plunged after another profit warning, down 10 percent after hitting their lowest in nearly 15 years.

Tesco slashed its full-year outlook by almost a third in the latest downgrade, triggered by an accounting scandal and intense competition in its home market. The European retail index fell 2 percent.

"This is clearly something that will weigh on their profits for the time being, but I do sense that a lot of the bad news is now baked in," IG's Kelly said. (Editing by Andrew Heavens)