Stocks take breather as focus shifts to earnings: Markets Wrap

News Snapshot:

(Bloomberg) — European stocks steadied on Thursday after the biggest three-day drop since October as traders re-calibrated their wagers on the timing and extent of interest rate cuts. Most Read from Bloomberg Signs that European policy makers are converging around a June rate reduction helped calm markets, along with indications that Chinese state funds are coming to the rescue of equities battered by signs of a flagging economy. That allowed investors to shift focus on Thursday to positive earnings news. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was little changed at the open, having slumped almost 2% in the first three days...