LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – World stocks were pinned down on Thursday as investors awaited U.S. data expected to offer clues on inflation, with further pressures widely seen as sparking a scaling back of central banks’ giant stimulus packages. The Euro STOXX 600 lost 0.2%, with German shares down 0.5% and London’s main index making slim losses. France gained 0.1%. Losses of around 0.2% in energy stocks were offset by 1.2% gains in the mining sector, while British bank HSBC gained 0.1% after a move to exit U.S. retail banking to focus on Asia. Wall Street futures gauges pointed to losses of around 0.2%. In focus was U.S. gross domestic product and jobless claims numbers expected later in the day. Investors also held back major bets before the monthly U.S. personal consumption report, due on Friday. “We still believe inflation will not be transient, but will persist – this is where I think we differ with central banks,” said Jeremy Gatto, a portfolio manager at Unigestion.