Stocks – Europe Slips After Recent Gains as Virus Cases Mount
European stock markets traded lower Friday, with investors taking stock after recent hefty gains and as the coronavirus pandemic continues to reap damage throughout the region. The broader based Stoxx 600 Europe index dropped 2.5%. The number of Covid-19 infections have continued to mount worldwide, to well above 500,000, but the news from Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe, has been disappointing as infections surged Thursday by 6,153, the most in five days.