European stocks end at 11-week closing low

* FTSEurofirst 300 down 0.6 percent

* Economy worries, ECB rate rise seen causing caution

* Technical analysts bearish on short-term equity outlook

By Harpreet Bhal

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - European shares slid for a fourth straight session on Monday, on concerns the pace of growth in the global economy could be slowing and with traders cautious on expectations the ECB may signal a July rate rise.

The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index fell 0.6 percent to 1,104.97, an 11-week closing low that continued a decline from Friday when weak U.S. labour data added to uncertainty about the pace of recovery in the world's largest economy.

The index has shed 3.2 percent in the past four sessions, and is down 1.5 percent for the year to date.

Technical analysts said the uncertainty over economic growth as prompted a trend of lower lows and lower highs for the market since it recorded hefty gains in April, suggesting equities could be losing short-term momentum.

"The short-term picture is looking pretty bearish for stocks. Prices could bounce within the next few days as long as Friday's low at 2,751 (on the Euro STOXX 50 index) is not broken, (but) the short-term upside potential is very limited," said Roelof-Jan Van den Akker, senior technical analyst at ING.

The Euro STOXX 50 <.STOXX50E> index, the euro zone's blue-chip index, closed 0.9 percent lower at 2,765.33 points, and broke below a 12-month upward trendline.

Peripheral euro zone banks <.TRXFLDPIPUBANK> fell 2.3 percent, as an expected fresh bailout package for Greece failed to reassure investors worried that austerity measures in return for aid may dent fragile economic growth in peripheral economies.

Last Friday, Greece said it successfully concluded talks with an EU/IMF inspection team, paving the way for a new bailout package to the debt-stricken country, though the German finance ministry said a second aid programme was not certain.

"The new plan shows the determination of the European community to avoid, at all costs, a restructuring of Greek debt," said Arnaud Poutier, co-head of IG Markets France.

"But there is something schizophrenic about it because the austerity measures being implemented in peripheral countries are fuelling recessionary pressures. So we might just be buying time here."

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Traders were also cautious ahead of a European Central Bank (ECB) rate-setting meeting on Thursday where policymakers are expected to signal a July rate rise is on the cards, a move that may dent appetite for riskier assets such as equities. [ID:nLDE7550KT]

The ECB is expected to use higher staff inflation forecasts, to be published during Thursday's post-policy meeting news conference, as justification for higher interest rates to come -- probably starting with a rise to 1.5 percent next month.

"Markets are suffering from the weak economic figures and concerns regarding the ECB meeting that could see a hawkish message being sent to the markets," said Anita Paluch, sales trader at ETX Capital.

Among individual movers, Italian bank UBI Banca shed 4 percent in heavy volume on the first trading day of its rights issue shares , a cash call designed to finance a 1 billion euro capital increase.

On the upside, Bayer rose 1.5 percent after a study showed its experimental prostate cancer drug developed with its Norwegian biotech partner Algeta helped patients live longer. Algeta surged 37 percent. [ID:nLDE75505Q]

(Additional reporting by Blaise Robinson in Paris; Editing by David Hulmes; Graphics by Scott Barber)