LONDON (Reuters) - Companies listed on the pan-European STOXX 600 <.STOXX> index are expected to report 0.8% earnings growth in the second quarter, down sharply from an estimate of 1.8% a week ago, according to data from I/B/E/S Refinitiv on Tuesday.
That represents an improvement compared to the previous quarter when earnings fell 2%, but it's down from more than 3.6% growth expected for Q2 two months ago and a sharp decline versus the same quarter of last year when earnings rose 9.7%.
The lower forecast will underscore concerns about the corporate health of Europe Inc as results season kicks off next week amid worries about a broader macroeconomic slowdown across the region.
On Tuesday, German chemicals giant BASF <BASFn.DE> blamed a full-year profit warning on trade frictions, sending shares in the company and the global chemicals sector sharply lower.
Europe's STOXX 600 <.STOXX> second-quarter revenue is seen rising 1% year-on-year, compared with 1.1% a week ago.
(Reporting by Josephine Mason; editing by David Evans)
