Stronger than expected data on retail sales in the United States, published on Wednesday, cooled the enthusiasm of investors hoping for a rapid reduction in interest rates by the Federal Reserve.

At the end of trading Dow Jones lost 0.25%, S&P 500 - 0.56%, Nasdaq - 0.59%. European indices declined following the American ones - German DAX fell by 0.84%, Briatian FTSE 100 - by 1.48%, French CAC 40 - by 1.07%.

In December, US retail sales rose 0.6% on the previous month, double the November results and exceeding the forecast estimate of 0.4%. This reinforced market participants' doubts that the Fed will soon move to cut the rate as the economy is showing resilience, allowing the regulator to keep it elevated for longer, Investing.com wrote. In addition, players reacted to Fed Governor Christopher Waller's statement that although the central bank is considering a cut this year, it is not planning one in the near future.