Europe close: Stocks caught in technology downdraft on Wall Street

European shares finished sharply lower amid continued heaving selling in tech stocks and more concerns about Britain's belligerent stance on Brexit trade talks.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell 1.15% alongside falls of 1.78% for the Ibex 35 and of 1.81% for the FTSE Mibtel.

London's FTSE 100 was down was 0.12% at 5,930.09, while the pound was off by 0.91% against the dollar at 1.3047, having already fallen sharply on Monday amid worries about a hard Brexit as Downing Street made increasingly strident suggestions that it would override the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union.

Stateside meanwhile the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was shedding another 2.75%.

In corporate news, French electricity giant EDF led the fallers, with shares down more than 8% after the company said nuclear output fell 17.6% in August due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and reactor outages.

Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins retreated after it swung to a first-half loss as revenue fell due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Shares in Royal Mail surged to the top of the leader board as the company reported a “substantial shift” in its business from letters to parcels in its first five months, with parcel volumes up 34%, or 177 million more parcels, and revenue up 33.1% year-on-year.

JD Sports Fashion was also a major gainer as it forecast annual pre-tax profits of at least £265m, scrapped its interim dividend and reported a slump in half-year earnings.

Packaging company DS Smith was in the black after saying it will pay an interim dividend as trading has improved.