(Reuters) – European shares fell on Friday as nervousness around rising COVID-19 infections and U.S. inflation reading due later in the day kept sentiment in check.
The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.4% as of 0824 GMT, tracking broader risk-off moves in global equities.
Tech stocks led losses with a 1% drag. Food delivery companies Deliveroo and Just Eat Takeaway slipped more than 1% each, adding to losses in the past week on worries that a European Commission ruling on gig economy drivers would hurt profits.
Investor focus is on the U.S consumer price print for November due at 0830 EST for hints on the case for a faster Federal Reserve taper and interest rate hikes.
Daimler Truck opened at 28 euros ($31.62) per share after its market debut on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Daimler AG plunged 17.4% in early trade.
Shares of Bayer rose 1.6% after the chemical giant won a second straight verdict in a Roundup cancer case.
Tobacco group Swedish Match jumped 6.0% after the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. Democrats dropped a proposed vaping tax that would have taxed e-cigarettes like regular ones.
(Reporting by Anisha Sircar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
