LONDON: European shares surrendered on Tuesday to sliding cyclicals, as a rotation out of tech stocks gathered pace and dwindling enthusiasm over a US tax bill weighed on financial services.
Eurozone blue chips, fresh from their best day in five months, fell 0.2 percent, as weak tech, financials and healthcare shares outweighed a rally in consumer staples and utilities.
After rallies in the United States and Asia fizzled out overnight, European benchmarks fell as investors took profit in tech and reached for safer, high-dividend-paying stocks.
Unilever and Danone gained the most. Utilities Enel and E.ON also advanced.
"It's been noticeable there has been a distinct sector rotation over the last week which is impacting the momentum of the market," wrote Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid in a note.
Euro zone banks slipped after their best gains in two months, falling 0.3 percent. Santander, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank were among those losing ground after gaining in the previous session.
UBS analysts noted that although lower taxes on future US earnings would help European banks, US banks would benefit more, giving them a competitive advantage.
British sub-prime lender Provident Financial fell 13 percent after UK regulator FCA opened an investigation into its Moneybarn unit.
Chipmakers led the tech sector down. Ams fell 2.4 percent after rising 213 percent this year, making it by far the best-performing European stock of 2017.
The iPhone supplier Dialog Semiconductor bucked the trend. After sinking 24 percent on fears Apple would in-source its chip production, it recovered to trade up 4.2 percent, even though RBC analysts cut their rating.
Mining companies were the worst-performing as metals prices slipped.
Healthcare stocks were also bruised, led down by Sanofi . The Philippines stopped sales of its dengue vaccine after the company warned it could worsen the disease in some cases.
The healthcare sector has underperformed the market this year, and Goldman Sachs strategists wrote investors are "still struggling to come to terms with a punishing Q3 reporting season... and broad sentiment remaining depressed."
Luxury brand Moncler was top of Italian stocks, up 2.2 percent after Deutsche Bank upgraded it to "buy" in a note forecasting healthy growth for the luxury sector in 2018.
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