European stocks retreat from 5-year highs Europe's main equities markets are slipping back from five-year highs on Tuesday morning, with banking stocks easing as investors lack a catalyst to keep the rally going. The pan-regional FTSE Eurofirst 300 is down 0.4 per cent at 1,299.10. Well-received earnings news from budget airline EasyJet have helped its shares up 3.9 per cent to £13.07. The stock is at the top of the international benchmark as well as its domestic index, the FTSE 100 in London. Overall, the UK index is down 0.4 per cent at 6,695.11, with the resource and banking stocks that drove Monday's rally taking the biggest toll at the start of trade on Tuesday as investors take profits. The selling is also broad, with only a dozen FTSE 100 stocks, mainly with defensive properties, making gains. Lloyds Banking Group is the biggest faller in the sector, down 1.2 per cent at 75.2p. The strong rally in Aberdeen Asset Management after Monday's news of its purchase of Scottish Widows Investment Partners also left it vulnerable to profit taking. The stock is down 2.1 per cent at 479p. London's biggest single faller is Intertek, the industrial testing services specialist. The stock's 3.7 per cent decline to £30.61 follows a statement in which Intertek said "the industry-wide headwinds experienced in the first half of the year have persisted into the second half," as it also said adverse currency movements are affecting its business. Shares in Enterprise Inns are up 8.6 per cent at 150p after it announced the appointment of Simon Townsend as its next CEO, to replace its founder Ted Tuppen in the top job. Mr Townsend is currently the pub operator's chief operating officer. The rest of Europe's main equities indices look like this: ● the Xetra Dax 30 in Frankfurt is down 0.4 per cent at 9,193.38 ● the CAC 40 in Paris is down 0.6 per cent at 4,296.79 ● the FTSE MIB in Milan is down 0.5 per cent at 19,006.0 ● the Ibex 35 in Madrid is down 0.6 per cent at 9,727.3