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* STOXX set to end Q1 with 8% rise
* Deliveroo IPO disappoints, peers drop
* Credit Suisse extends drop for third day
(Adds comment, updates prices)
By Sruthi Shankar
March 31 (Reuters) - European stocks were flat on Wednesday
as a 30% slump for delivery company Deliveroo in its London
debut took the shine off the fourth straight quarterly rise for
the benchmark STOXX 600.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX inched down 0.1%
to 430.4 - trading below its pre-pandemic peak of 433.9. The
benchmark was on course to end March with a 6.4% rise and the
first quarter with an 8% gain.
The German DAX .GDAXI slipped 0.1% after breaching the
15,000-mark for the first time on Tuesday, while the UK's FTSE
100 .FTSE fell 0.4%.
Shares in Deliveroo ROO.L opened well below the initial
public offering price, falling as low as 271 pence. The company
had priced its IPO at 390 pence per share, giving it a valuation
of 7.6 billion pounds ($10.5 billion), less than initially
expected. Continental peers Just Eat Takeaway TKWY.AS and Delivery
Hero DHER.DE fell 2.0% and 0.3%, respectively.
"The biggest concern is regulation around worker rights. The
flexible employee model of Deliveroo's riders is a huge pillar
of the group's plans for success," Sophie Lund-Yates, an equity
analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said in a note.
H&M HMb.ST fell 2.8% after the Swedish retailer reported a
quarterly loss and said it would not propose a dividend at its
annual general meeting. Economically sensitive sectors such as autos, banks and
travel and leisure have been the top performers in Europe this
quarter as investors hoped that the reopening of economies would
spur growth in these cheap sectors.
"A lot of the winners of 2020 have become losers of 2021 on
the recovery aspect," said Roger Jones, head of equities at
London & Capital. "European stocks still have the cyclical
element to them that will continue to be favoured by investors."
Credit Suisse CSGN.S extended declines for a third day,
down 2.5%, on worries about its losses linked to the downfall of
Archegos Capital, which defaulted on margin calls earlier this
week. Poland's CD Projekt CDR.WA dropped 13.1% to the bottom of
STOXX 600 after its strategy update that included seeking M&A
targets disappointed investors. French business IT services provider Capgemini CAPP.PA
rose 1.6% after it raised its medium-term margin targets.