London's benchmark FTSE 100 index shed 0.5 percent to 7,243.32 points compared with the close on Wednesday, as traders also digested a series of earnings updates from major companies.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 shed 0.9 percent to 12,358.82 points and the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.6 percent to 5,272.43.