FTSE 100 down 0.04%; DAX down 0.73%; CAC 40 down 0.23% (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milan, 26 Jun - European shares erased earlier gains and were marginally lower in cautious midday trade, extending yesterday's losses. The Stoxx 600 index was down 0.36%.

Sentiment was subdued as investors braced for the first US presidential debate on Thursday and the first round of voting in the French election next weekend.

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National) party and its allies were seen leading the first round of the country's elections with 35.5% of the vote, according to a poll published on Sunday.

On the data front, the German consumer sentiment index published jointly by GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions unexpectedly fell to -21.8 heading into July from a slightly revised -21.0 in June, halting a four-month surge.

Traders are now awaiting fresh US inflation data due on Friday with the release of May's personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge.

At 1135 GMT, the London FTSE 100 was down 0.17% at 8,233 points, the Frankfurt DAX was down 0.04% at 18,156 points, the Paris CAC 40 down 0.73% at 7,606 points, while in Milan the FTSE MIB was down 0.23% at 33,528 points and in Madrid the IBEX 35 was down 0.55% at 11,058 points.

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(RADIOCOR) 26-06-24 13:48:07 (0376) 5 NNNN