By Amanda Cooper LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - European shares fell sharply on Thursday, led by banks and energy shares, as the prospect of economic slowdown loomed large in investors' minds, even after another round of central bank interest rate cuts. The European Central Bank, which cut rates by half a point as expected, and the Bank of England, which shocked markets with the largest official rate cut since 1981, did little to support equities, where investors are now looking beyond the turmoil of the financial crisis to the damage to the economy. Heavyweight stocks from a variety of sectors hit the index, including HSBC, which lost 4.1 percent, Vodafone , which dropped 7.8 percent, BP, which fell nearly 6 percent and EDF, which shed 6.3 percent. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended down 5.78 percent at...
[read full story]