2017.08.1721:04:00UTC+00European Markets as Banks, Energy Stocks Drop

European shares broke their three-day winning streak on Thursday as banks declined after a cautious minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve, while energy stocks were also under pressure.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index dropped 0.6 percent as eurozone blue chips fell 0.7 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 slipped 0.6 percent while Germany's DAX was down 0.5 percent.

European lenders, which benefit from higher interest rates, were the worst-performing sector as it fell 1.6 percent. Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank dropped which led the DAX lower with declines of 2.8 to three percent.

Societe Generale, Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas weighed on th France's CAC, tumbling 1.6 to 2.3 percent.

Energy stocks are the worst-performing European sectors so far in 2017, declining one percent.

Geberit led construction firms to the third-worst performance among Stoxx 600 groups, dropping 5.8 percent after its quarterly earnings fell short even of their lowest analyst estimate.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals plunged ten percent after the company trimmed its guidance for the generics business.