BoE set to hike rates later in the day; decision at 1100 GMT
SNB hikes by 25 bps, signals more to come
Banks, autos, tech lead sectoral falls

June 22 Reuters European shares slid to their lowest level in nearly three months on Thursday, with London stocks falling on uncertainty about the size of the Bank of England39;s BoE interest rate hike later in the day.

The panEuropean STOXX 600 index fell 1.0, eyeing a fourth straight session of decline, on fears of continued monetary policy tightening by major central banks.

The UK39;s FTSE 100 index shed 0.9.

The BoE is set to raise interest rates for the thirteenth time in a row, a day after inflation data came in higher than expected again, but bets were almost evenly split between a 25basispoint bps and 50basispoint hike.

As inflation readings go, it39;s a very worrying number. This has raised the stakes to the point the BoE might feel compelled to hike rates by 50 bps later today, and not 25 bps as expected, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

The Swiss National Bank raised its policy interest rate by 25 bps on Thursday as it pressed ahead with its fight against sticky inflation and left the door open for more tightening.

Some European Central Banks39; ECB policymakers said on Wednesday that euro zone inflation is stubborn and may require a protracted period of high interest rates to contain, partly due to an exceptionally tight labour market.

Bank stocks tumbled 1.8, eying its worst…