European stocks down, as Fed minutes pressured market ‎sentiment

European stocks fell today, Thursday, under pressure from a drop in BAE Systems after it agreed to buy the aviation unit of Bull Corp. (NYSE:BALL), while the minutes of the US Federal Reserve meeting for the month of July weighed on sentiment, as it raised sentiment. Concerns about interest rates remaining high for a longer period

According to Reuters, the European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.5% by 0713 GMT, and touched the lowest level in more than a month.

Shares in BAE Systems, Britain’s largest defense company, fell after it said it had agreed to buy aviation assets from Ballcorp in a $5.55 billion cash deal. European aerospace and defense fell 1.2%.

The performance of futures contracts on Wall Street varied after the market closed lower yesterday, with the minutes of the US Central Bank meeting showing that its officials were divided regarding the need for more interest rate hikes.

Bond yields jumped across Europe, with sharp rises in Italy and Germany, putting pressure on stocks.

Dutch Aegon Insurance fell 4.7% after the company announced financial results for the first half of the year, and shares in Norway fell 0.6% before the central bank there announced its decision on interest rates.