Disappointing earnings weigh on European shares
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LONDON, Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) 19 (Reuters) - European shares fell in early deals on Wednesday after a slew of weak updates weighed on British firms Travis Perkins (Frankfurt: 893509 - news) and Reckitt Benckiser (Xetra: A0M1W6 - news) , while Akzo Nobel (Amsterdam: AKZA.AS - news) 's results were hit by a weak pound.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.4 percent, following a 1.5 percent rise in the previous session.
Building materials supplier Travis Perkins dropped nearly 6 percent and was on track for its biggest daily loss since June after the firm warned on its 2016 profit, blaming a disappointing performance in its plumbing and heating business.
The company also said that it would close more than 30 branches.
Consumer goods maker Reckitt Benckiser also fell, down nearly 3 percent after reporting a bigger than expected slowdown in underlying third-quarter sales growth.
Price pressures and a drop in the value of sterling hit Dutch coatings and paints maker Akzo Nobel, which retreated 2.5 percent after reporting a slide in quarterly sales.
However, among the risers, Sweden's Intrum Justitia (LSE: 0H9P.L - news) jumped more than 6 percent after a well-received set of results. (Reporting by Kit Rees, Editing by Alistair Smout)