MW : European shares steady as oil producers offset banks
After notching a fresh annual high early in the session, the pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index (ST:SXXP 237.67, -0.17, -0.07%) traded down 0.1% at 237.72.
The index closed at a level not seen since Oct. 7 on Tuesday, the fourth straight day of gains.
Oil and gas shares were weak with BP (UK:BP. 527.85, -5.10, -0.96%) (BP 51.93, +0.05, +0.10%) shares down 0.9% and Total (FR:FP 39.99, -0.41, -1.00%) shares down 1%.
Crude-oil prices moved around the $72-a-barrel level in electronic trade Wednesday, with investors awaiting weekly data on U.S. inventories.
The futures contract ended $2.32, or 3.1%, lower at $72.05 Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. See full story.
