European stocks extended their losses on Thursday after higher-than-expected US weekly jobless claims rattled investors.
Data showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 78,000 to a seasonally adjusted 439,000, well above the median forecast in a Reuters poll of 375,000.
At 15:35 SA time, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.8 percent at 1,079.69 points. The index was down 0.6 percent before the data was released. - Reuters