EUROPE MARKETS: European Stocks Soften; Rémy Cointreau Warns

By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stocks pulled lower Thursday, with investors assessing a crop of corporate financial updates and monitoring diplomatic talks about the crisis in Ukraine.

The Stoxx Europe 600 lost 0.2% to 330.18, giving up a portion of its 1.3% climb on Wednesday, which was spurred by better-than-expected Chinese growth data and prospects for looser monetary policy by the European Central Bank.

Among those pacing decliners on the pan-European index Thursday were liquor makers Rémy Cointreau SA and Diageo PLC. Shares of Rémy fell 3.6% after the company warned that annual operating profit could fall between 35% and 40%.

Britain's Diageo , whose brands include Smirnoff vodka and Guinness stout, fell 3.7% after posting a sales decline.

Investors were also keeping tabs on any developments from diplomatic talks between Ukraine, Russia, the European Union and the U.S. as they discuss Ukraine's growing political crisis and tensions with Russia. On Thursday, three pro-Russian protesters were killed and 13 wounded after a clash with Ukrainian authorities at a military installation in the southeastern city of Mariupol.

In London, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% to 6,572.91, and Germany's DAX 30 fell 0.1% to 9,311.68. But France's CAC 40 was up by 0.2% at 4,411.48, led by a 2.6% increase for Publicis Groupe SA , as the advertising and public relations firm logged first-quarter sales growth.

More news from MarketWatch:

European car sales recover further in March

Japan downgrades its view of the economy

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires