Stock markets in Europe ended on a bearish note on Friday in reaction to escalating euro zone debt worries. Moreover slower Chinese growth data also created concerns among the investors. Fitch’s downgraded rating for Greece added concerns over Spain’s position too. In China, the state information center reported the annual growth rate fell to 7.5 percent in the second quarter which also added to pessimistic sentiments.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index declined 1.1 percent to 238.88 on Friday. The respective index fell 1.1 percent in its prior session too while is down 5 percent for the week. Banking sector still remained in positive zone due to talks of ban on short selling in Europe. BNP Paribas SA jumped 2.9 percent on the news while Societe Generale SA advanced 2.3 percent. Banco Santander gained 3 percent despite the fact that Moody’s Investors Service downgraded its rating on Thursday.

In Spain, IBEX 35 index gained 0.4 percent to close at 6,566.70. Among the top performers was Bankia SA which gained 23.5 percent. Greece’s Athens General Index advanced 2.5 percent to 550.13 and National bank of Greece SA soared 7.7 percent for the day. Italy’s FTSE MIB index fell 0.3 percent to 13,048.90.

London’s FTSE 100 index slipped 1.3 percent to settle at 5,267.62 and the major losers at London Stock Exchange were Rio Tinto which fell 2.3 percent and Xstrata PLC reporting the day’s loss of 4 percent. In banking sector HSBC Holdings PLC declined 2.2 percent while Barclays PLC plummeted 3.2 percent for the day.

Germany’s DAX-30 index fell 0.6 percent to 6,271.22. Among the major falls were Volkswagen AG which declined 2 percent and Adidas AG also fell 2 percent on Friday’s session. French CAC-40 index declined 0.1 percent to 3,008.