European Stocks Sink on Greek Downgrade, U.S. Economy; BHP Falls

European stocks fell to a six-week low as Moody’s Investors Service raised Greece’s default risk to 50 percent and a bigger-than-forecast drop in U.S. factory orders fueled concern the world’s largest economy is faltering.

BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group both declined more than 2 percent as metal prices retreated. Kingfisher Plc, Britain’s biggest home-improvement retailer, fell 1 percent as profit missed estimates. Alcatel-Lucent SA, France’s largest telecommunications equipment maker, retreated 3.9 percent.