European stocks fall for second straight day after Jerome Powell's remarks

European stocks fell on Friday, to head for the second straight loss, after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's remarks led to risk aversion, and after the US Treasury bond yields rose to a 13-month high.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index fell 0.8% as of 09:25 GMT, after closing lower by 0.4% yesterday on profit-taking from a 2-week high at 416.7 points.

The travel and leisure sector saw the largest losses in Europe today, with a drop of more than 2.0%, amid a broad selloff wave in the sector's companies.

10-year yields rose to 13-months highs at 1.583 amid expectations of the yields piercing 1.6% soon. 

Fed Chair Jerome Powell pointed to the recent bond selling pressures as noticeable, but they weren't disorganized, as he warned from inflation pressures in the US in the next period, however, Powell still doesn't expect rate hikes soon until economic recovery.  

S&P 500 futures fell 0.5%, after the index closed lower by 1.3% yesterday at Wall Street in the third straight daily loss and hit a 4-week low at 3,723.34 points.

Back to Europe, the Euro Stoxx 50 index fell 0.9%, France's CAC 40 fell 1%, Germany DAX index fell 1.1%, and the UK's FTSE 100 fell 0.7%.