UPDATE 2-Weak earnings hit Europe amid virus fears; FTSE slides as BoE stands pat

(For a live blog on European stocks, type LIVE/ in an Eikon
news window)
* BoE holds interest rate, London shares extend losses
* Coronavirus death toll hits 170, virus spreads to 16
countries
* Energy index hit by Shell results, weak oil prices
* H&M, Volvo, Unilever rise after results
* German inflation still below ECB target

(Updates to add BoE rate decision, closing prices)
By Susan Mathew and Medha Singh
Jan 30 (Reuters) - European shares fell on Thursday on
worries over the economic fallout from a virus epidemic in China
and some poor earnings updates, while London stocks hit session
lows as the Bank of England held off cutting interest rates.
A day ahead of Britain's exit from the European Union, the
BoE left rates unchanged in Governor Mark Carney's final policy
meeting, saying it saw signs of a post-election pick-up in
growth. Market participants had been almost evenly split on what
the BoE's would do. "We continue to expect the BoE to remain dovish - but on
hold - in the near-term, before turning more hawkish in mid-2020
as economic activity and inflation rebounds," said Kallum
Pickering, a senior economist at Berenberg.
The pound GBP= rallied, while London's blue chip index
.FTSE extended losses to close down 1.4% and mid-caps .FTMC
lost 0.8%. .L GBP/
The pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX ended 1% lower to take
losses so far this week to 2% - its worst weekly performance in
nearly four months.
Global equities and some commodities markets have
experienced a sharp sell-off this week as the number of reported
cases of people infected with the flu-like coronavirus jumped.
It has so far claimed 170 lives in China and spread to more than
16 countries, disrupting global travel and company
operations. MKTS/GLOB London-listed shares of Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L were the
biggest drag on the benchmark index, shedding 4.4% after the
company's quarterly profit halved. The wider energy subsector
.SXEP fell 2.6%, also pressured by lower oil prices.
O/R
Shares of watchmaker Swatch Group UHR.S slipped 3.9% as it
reported a marked drop in annual sales and forecast continuing
challenges in its key Hong Kong market this year. Other luxury brands - LVMH LVMH.PA , Hermes HRMS.PA ,
Gucci owner Kering PRTP.PA , Moncler MONC.MI , Burberry
BRBY.L - also slipped between 0.4% and 2.1%.
British cybersecurity company Avast AVST.L was the worst
performer on the pan-regional index after it announced the
closure of the scandal-hit Jumpshot analytics business, which
will see it take a charge of $15-$25 million in 2020 in
wind-down costs. Fashion retailer H&M HMb.ST , consumer goods giant Unilever
ULVR.L UNA.AS and truck maker Volvo VOLVb.ST were the
biggest boosts to the STOXX 600 after reporting upbeat results.
As the global growth outlook worsens, Germany's inflation
came in below the European Central Bank's target for a ninth
month in a row, strengthening the case for the bank's easing
bias. Germany's DAX .GDAXI slipped 1.5%.