European shares fell in early trade on Thursday as investors assessed the risks to Donald Trump's stimulus plans, just before a vote in the US Congress on his Healthcare Bill.
By 0822 GMT, the pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.1 per cent, following slight losses in the previous session. Britain's FTSE fell 0.2 per cent.
The US vote, which could come as early as Thursday, is considered a key test of Trump's ability to push through legislation, including business-friendly tax cuts.
Expectations of a big economic stimulus in the world's largest economy have helped fuel a global rally in equity markets, lifting the STOXX to 15-month highs earlier this week.
Among individual stock movers on Thursday, IG Group fell 4.5 per cent, topping STOXX losers, after the British online trading firm posted a fall in quarterly revenues caused by weakness in UK and Ireland.
Sectoral indexes were showing small moves, between a 0.4 per cent fall and a 0.2 per cent rise, underlying the overall cautious mood.