European stocks closed sharply lower on Tuesday, pressured by aggressive losses in the financial sector as markets continued to assess the outlook on global rates. The STOXX 50 lost 1.3% to 5,372 and the pan-European STOXX 600 dropped 1.2% to 551. Traders turned cautious ahead of key monetary policy decisions this week from the Fed and the BoE, as well as China–US trade talks, while US President Trump begins his visit to the UK today. On the data front, the ZEW Economic Sentiment Index for Germany surprised on the upside, while UK labour figures continued to signal a slowdown in the job market. Allianz, Santander, Intesa Sanpaolo, Munich Re, and Deutsche Boerse all lost close to 2.5% to set the pace for financial stocks. In the meantime, L'Oreal fell nearly 3% after having its stock downgraded by Jeffries. Also, the luxury sector remained volatile as markets awaited insights on the future of Armani following its founder's death, who included directions on a possible sale in his will.