Euro Shares Fall for 4th Day; Utilities Drag

European equities ended down for a fourth straight session on Tuesday, led lower by utilities and energy shares, as investors remained nervous ahead of earnings figures and worries about the pace of global economic recovery.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares provisionally finished 0.8 percent lower at 826.44 points after rising to a high of 840.27. But the index, which fell 45 percent in 2008, is still up 28 percent since hitting a record low in early March.

Utilities shares were among top decliners, with GDF Suez, E.ON, National Grid and Centrica slipping 1.7-4.1 percent.

Energy shares tracked crude oil prices, which fell 2 percent to trade below $63 a barrel. Royal Dutch Shell, Repsol, Total, ENI and Cairn Energy fell 1.2-3.4 percent.

"The markets are in a consolidation mode. Whether they take a more significant move upwards or downwards will be driven by whether the economic data and earnings data coming in are disappointing or encouraging," said Andrew Bell, head of research at Rensburg Sheppards.

Across Europe, UK's FTSE 100 index, Germany's DAX index and France's CAC 40 were down between 0.2 and 1.1 percent.

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