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* Eurozone banks among few gainers after ECB move
* German autos drop as stimulus favours electric cars
* Spirits maker Remy Cointreau jumps on forecast raise
* Adidas sees faster recovery in greater China
(Updates with ECB details, market move)
By Sruthi Shankar
June 4 (Reuters) - A strong rally this week in European
stocks stalled on Thursday as investors locked in profits,
although euro zone banks surged after the European Central Bank
ramped up its stimulus programme to prop up the coronavirus-hit
economy.
The euro zone stock index .STOXXE closed 0.2% lower after
falling as much as 0.8% earlier in the session, but the bloc's
lenders .SX7E gained 1.1%.
The ECB said it would increase the size of emergency bond
buying by a wider-than-expected 600 billion euros ($674 billion)
to 1.35 trillion euros and that the purchases would run until
the end of June 2021, six month longer than originally planned.
An index of Italian banks .FTIT8300 jumped 1.1%, while
Spanish lenders BBVA BBVA.MC and Banco Santander SAN.MC
gained nearly 1.7%.
However, the pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX fell 0.7%, led
by declines in automakers .SXAP , utilities .SX6P and
healthcare stocks .SXDP .
"Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were a great run with the
expectation of additional easing," said David Madden, market
analyst at CMC Markets."We got that and now it seems that
traders are taking the money off the table for now."
Equity markets have bounced strongly this week, with Wall
Street's tech-heavy Nasdaq .IXIC hovering below record levels,
on signs of recovery from a coronavirus-forced recession,
optimism over a vaccine and hopes of more stimulus.
Germany's coalition parties agreed a 130-billion-euros
stimulus package to speed recovery on Wednesday, but shares in
Daimler DAIGn.DE and Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE fell between 1%
and 2.5% as the measures favoured electric cars. Germany unveiled a staggered tax on vehicles emitting large
amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), hitting sports utility
vehicles. Shares of car parts suppliers such as Continental
CONG.DE and Valeo VLOF.PA were down 2.9% and 4%.
Airbus AIR.PA jumped 5.2% after a report said it was
looking to hold underlying jet output at 40% below pre-pandemic
plans for two years, an approach which adds new pressure to cut
thousands of jobs. French spirits company Remy Cointreau RCOP.PA surged 11.3%
after it predicted a strong recovery in the second half, driven
by China and the United States. German sportswear firm Adidas ADSGn.DE gained 1.8% as it
said sales had returned to growth in greater China faster than
it had expected after the coronavirus lockdown. = 0.8925 euros)