London - European shares fell for a fourth straight day on Wednesday, tracking falls in US and Asian shares overnight, as the prospect of a tightening in US monetary conditions unnerved investors at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.
Apple supplier ARM Holding fell 2.3% to feature among top European fallers, tracking a late fall in the US firm's shares after the unveiling of a watch, two larger iPhones and a mobile payments service on Tuesday.
At 10:10, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was down 0.2% at 1 382.72 points, falling for a fourth day after hitting a six-and-a-half year high on Thursday.
Asian and US shares fell overnight as markets wagered the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates earlier than expected.
EU countries will discuss on Wednesday whether to implement new sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukrainian crisis.
The sanctions would include restrictions on financing for Russian state-owned oil companies and banks, an expanded list of people whose assets in the EU will be frozen, and new restrictions on the sale of goods that can be used for both military and civilian purposes.