European Stocks Sliding as Central Banks Take Center Stage

European indexes were falling on Thursday as the Federal Reserve's hawkish outlook caused investors to fret there could be fewer interest-rate cuts coming. The mini-recovery came after the Bank of England stuck to the script by holding interest rates at their current level, but three out of nine members of its monetary policy committee voted in favor of a quarter-point cut. Sweden's Riksbank and Norway's Norges Bank were also giving European investors food for thought.