Muscat: European stocks edged slightly lower today: European stocks saw a marginal decline as trading opened.

According to Oman News Agency, the STOXX Europe 600 index dropped 0.1 percent, settling at 604.68 points by 07:04 GMT. This slight decrease follows its largest monthly drop observed in the previous session. Key regional indices mirrored this downtrend, with London's FTSE 100 index falling by 1 percent.

The banking sector was notably affected, with HSBC shares plummeting 5.1 percent. This decline came in the wake of HSBC revealing an unforeseen USD 400 million loss tied to a fraud case in Britain. This loss significantly impacted the bank's first-quarter profits, which failed to meet market expectations.

Conversely, not all sectors faced downward pressure. Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev surged 6.3 percent, marking a notable exception in the market's overall trend.