EUROPE MARKETS: Stoxx Europe 600 On Track For Fifth Straight Loss

By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stocks markets headed mostly lower on Thursday, with the benchmark index heading for its fifth straight day in the red.

The major indexes had started in positive territory after a poll on the Scottish referendum put the pro-union campaign back in the lead, but gains then fizzled. Investors remained concerned about the timing of the first U.S. interest-rate hike and awaited weekly labor-market data from Washington to help gauge when it might come. U.S. stock futures were also pointing to a lower open in Wall Street.

Market reaction: The Stoxx Europe 600 index fell 0.1% to 344.33, on track for the lowest close in over a week. France's CAC 40 index lost 0.4% to 4,432.12, while Germany's DAX 30 index dropped 0.2% to 9,677.80.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index lost 0.4% to 6,801.50. The pound (GBPUSD) climbed to $1.6250 from $1.6202 Wednesday afternoon in New York, getting a lift from the survey pointing to a "no" for Scotland's independence.

RBS and Lloyds boost: Shares of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (LYG) both rose 1.3% after the banks warned they would relocate to England if Scotland votes in favor of leaving the U.K. at the referendum on Sept. 18.

Data: German inflation was stuck at a 4 1/2-year low of 0.8% in August, data from the Federal Statistics Office confirmed on Thursday. Inflation in France was 0.5% in August as expected.

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