European stock markets drop

LONDON, June 11 (AFP): European stock markets dropped on Wednesday after recent rallies, while the aviation sector took a knock as Emirates airline cancelled a major order of Airbus planes.

Analysts said dealers were taking a breather after a recent winning streak on global markets fuelled by a batch of upbeat data, including on US jobs, Japanese economic growth, and Chinese manufacturing and trade.

London's FTSE 100 index of top companies fell 0.45 per cent to 6,842.84 points approaching midday in the British capital, with losses limited by official data that revealed a further drop in British unemployment to a fresh five-year low point.