UPDATE 4- European bourses slide on profit taking.

(From FT Investor (Stories))

European bourses were slightly lower in thin trade on Monday afternoon as investors booked some profits on the back of very sharp gains in the past weeks.

A hesitant start on Wall Street added to the cautious sentiment.

Tech stocks led declines as investors capitalised on the recent rally in the semiconductor sector and financial stocks were also lower, with Zurich Financial and Munich Re among notable fallers.

The FTSE Eurotop 300 was down 0.6 per cent at 905.9, Frankfurt's Xetra Dax was 1.1 per cent lower at 3,509.1 and in Paris, the CAC 40 was off 1 per cent at 3,295.2.

In New York, the markets …