European equity benchmarks fell on Friday as investors turned their focus to the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president, whose election in November has fueled expectation of stronger economic growth boosted by potential fiscal spending and tax cuts. The Stoxx Europe 600 was down 0.2 percent at 8:28 a.m. in London, dropping for the second day further from its 52-week high, reached Jan. 3. The index has lacked momentum since its outperformance of the U.S. S&P 500 Index in December.