Bond sell-off hits European shares but boost banks

European shares pulled back on Wednesday, with most sectors except rate-sensitive banks in the red as concerns grew over the direction of the bond market. Bond yields globally hit multi-month highs following a report that Chinese officials have recommended slowing or halting purchases of US government bonds.
The yield on 10-year US Treasury hit a 10-month high, while Germany's 10-year bond yield also hit its highest since the European Central Bank extended and cut its bond buying scheme in October. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.4 percent, pulling back from a 2 1/2 year high hit on Tuesday, while euro zone blue chips declined by the same amount.
Banks however surged 2.1 percent to their highest in more than 2 years, as higher interest rates typically generate more revenues and profits for lenders. "Higher rates could be coming in our view, and given the moves can be vicious when they finally arrive it seems sensible to position for such ahead of the event," Northern Trust Capital Markets analysts wrote in a note.
"Clearly banks should win in a rising rate environment; so too should commodities," they added. UK's RBS rose 4.6 percent, Germany's Commerzbank and Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo were among the biggest gainers in the sector, all up more than 4 percent. Traders said Italian banks led by Monte dei Paschi di Siena were also supported by Bank of Italy data showing a further decline in soured loans.
European pharmaceuticals, utilities and consumer staples fell as the rise in bond yields dimmed the appeal of their stable dividends.
Elsewhere, Tele2 tumbled 7.5 percent, leading losers in Europe after the Swedish telecoms firm agreed to a $3.2 billion takeover of cable TV company Com Hem. Com Hem rose 3.4 percent. Altice, down 7.2 percent, was another heavy faller with traders citing a downgrade to sell from Louis Capital Markets. Metro Bank rose 4.3 percent after an upgrade from Citi.
IG Group declined 4.4 percent following conclusions of a review of the contracts-for-difference market by the UK's FCA. Still in the UK, Sainsbury rose 2.2 percent after the supermarket group reported a slight beat to forecasts for Christmas sales and said it was nudging up full-year profit guidance.