European stocks slide as French election, rate nerves persist
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French election relief rally fades
EZ inflation eases but services costs stuck
STOXX 600 down 0.4%, insurers lead losses
Updated at 1600 GMT
By Sruthi Shankar and Jesus Calero
July 2 (Reuters) -European stocks fell to two-week lows on Tuesday as the relief rally in French shares following the first round of parliamentary elections faded, while data pointed to elevated services inflation in the euro zone.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX ended 0.4% lower, off near two-month lows hit earlier in the session.
Insurers .SXIP dropped 1.6% to lead sectoral declines, led by a 5.2% fall in Beazley BEZG.L as hurricane Beryl in South Caribbean intensified.
France's blue-chip CAC 40 index .FCHI slid 0.3% as investors remained cautious ahead of a second-round vote on July 7.
European shares finished 0.3% higher on Monday, helped by a 1.1% jump in the battered French market after Marine Le Pen's National Rally party scored a smaller win than some polls had expected, lowering the chance of an absolute majority for the far-right party.
"Both potential outcomes of this election, whether a far-right or a far-left coalition, don't give political stability," said Daniela Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com.
Meanwhile,data showed euro zone inflation eased last month but a crucial services component remained stubbornly high, likely fuelling concern among some European Central Bank policymakers that price pressures could remain elevated.
"The fact that services inflation, which is most sensitive to domestic economic conditions, has remained high this year strengthens the case for caution at the ECB," said Jack Allen-Reynolds, euro-zone economist at Capital Economics.
ECB President Christine Lagarde, however, welcomed a small fall in inflation last month as a step in the right direction.
Traders are pricing in a 50% chance of a 25 basis point rate cut in September and an even lower chance of another cut in December, as per LSEG data.
Auto stocks .SXAP shed 0.9%, dragged down by a 3.1% fall in Michelin MICP.PA after analysts flagged the French tyre maker's lower full-year volume expectations during a pre-close call.
Among other stocks, Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO slipped 1.1% after a report said U.S. President Joe Biden had called on the Danish drugmaker to reduce the prices of their weight loss and diabetes drugs.
Sodexo EXHO.PA dropped 4.7% after the French food caterer posted third-quarter sales below expectations, citing a slowdown in China.
Germany's HelloFresh HFGG.DE jumped 7.7% after J.P.Morgan removed the food delivery company from its negative catalyst watch.
Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Shristi Achar A in Bengaluru and Jesus Calero in Gdansk; Editing by Rashmi Aich, Sonia Cheema, Savio D'Souza and Christina Fincher
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