EU stocks down as investors keep eye on coronavirus, weak earnings

European markets fell on Thursday despite a slowdown in the spread of the coronavirus in China that has helped other markets to advance.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 edged 0.3% lower in early trade, with insurance stocks falling 1.2% to lead losses while industrials added 0.3%, as most sectors traded in the red.

European markets are bucking the trend seen from their Asian counterparts, where stocks advanced Thursday on hopes that the coronavirus outbreak could be slowing amid a decline in the number of new cases of the virus, and from extra stimulus measures from China.