Shares of Zara-owner Inditex , the world's biggest fashion retailer, fell over 3% at the opening bell. The company had posted a 27% net profit increase in 2022.
H&M , the world's No.2 fashion retailer, reported a 12% increase in December-February net sales, but analysts said the results were 'somewhat disappointing'. Shares of H&M fell more than 5%. The pessimism on the European retailers' results overshadowed hopes of smaller interest rate hikes and cautious optimism about the U.S. banking sector. European shares posted their biggest single-day gain in nearly three months on Tuesday, on growing hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve will tone down its rate-hiking spree in the aftermath of Silicon Valley Bank's (SVB) collapse. (Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
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