Flowers grow in front of Swiss agrochemicals maker Syngenta’s logo at the company’s headquarters in Basel. Syngenta shares rose 3.5% after a potential $130bn merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont triggered talk there could be a renewed flurry of takeover bids for European rivals.

Reuters, AFP
London

European shares ended slightly lower yesterday after touching a two-month low, with retailers and tech firms under pressure even as commodity shares stabilised.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 finished 0.18% lower at 1,428.08 points, having touched its lowest level since mid-October.
The FTSEurofirst 300 is down around 6% in December, falling after the European Central Bank disappointed markets with only limited stimulus measures earlier this month.
Investors remain anxious over the impact of a widely-expected interest rate hike from the US Federal Reserve on December 16, dealers said, while the Bank of England left its borrowing costs unchanged at a record low of 0.5%.
After the BoE announcement, London shares were off 0.5% at 6,099 points, but Frankfurt moved 0.4% ahead at 10,631 points and Paris was up 0.1% at 4,640 points.
“Global growth concerns, weak commodity prices and the imminent prospect of a Federal Reserve rate hike are all headwinds for the equity market,” said Rebecca O’Keeffe, head of investment at stockbroker Interactive Investor.
“While we may see some slight respite for markets as investors start to the view the market as oversold, sentiment remains fragile and we’re unlikely to see any significant push higher until we get beyond the Federal Reserve decision next week,” she told AFP.
Semiconductor stocks took a hit, with Germany’s Aixtron, which provides equipment for the semiconductor industry, falling 41% after China’s Sanan Optoelectronics slashed its order for new-generation tools.
Chip-maker Ams slid nearly 20%, meanwhile, after a press report said the company had lost important business from US heavyweight Apple.
Sports retailer Sports Direct was hit hard after it missed forecasts with its first-half results. It was down 11%.
Inditex also slipped 0.4% despite seeing a strong start to Christmas trading, with shares richly valued. The firm’s gross margin also slipped.
Among gainers, Glencore rose 7% after the miner and commodities trader announced a cost-cutting programme and new debt reduction forecasts.
Basic resources stocks rose 0.9%, boosted by Glencore and by stabilising metals prices. The sector has been at the heart of most of the recent market weakness.
French utility EDF rose 6% after it raised its 2015 earnings outlook slightly, even though it said it would book additional charges this year of about €2.3bn ($2.5bn) after an asset review.
Chemical maker Syngenta rose 3.5% after a potential $130bn merger of Dow Chemical Co and DuPont triggered talk there could be a renewed flurry of takeover bids for European rivals.
Syngenta’s stock was boosted after Benzinga reported that ChemChina was said to be considering a purchase of the company.