European equities declined after hawkish remarks from US policy-makers dampened expectations for a near-term interest-rate cut, despite the STOXX 600 registering its best weekly performance since late September. Banks slid nearly 2.4% as concerns over earnings and tighter yields weighed. Luxury-goods and select industrial stocks held up well, but overall risk-appetite cooled. Investors turned cautious ahead of new US economic releases and central-bank commentary, recalibrating expectations around the strength of the global economic recovery and the timing of monetary-policy easing.