Investing.com - European stocks were lower on Wednesday, as ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine coupled with concerns that the U.K. may be heading for a split weighed on market sentiment.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 declined 0.47%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.28%, while Germany’s DAX lost 0.60%.
European Union representatives were set to meet Wednesday mornint in Brussels to discuss tougher economic sanctions on Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
The meeting comes as the EU's decided earlier this week to put on hold a second package of economic penalties.
Markets were also jittery after recent opinion polls showed that support for Scottish pro-independence voters increased ahead of the September 18 referendum.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) slipped 0.19% and 0.30%, while Germany's Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) lost 0.58%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) declined 0.62% and 0.70% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) retreated 0.48% and 1.84%.
Banco Santander, Spain's biggest bank, announced earlier that its Chairman Emilio Botin died in Madrid Tuesday night. The board was set to meet later Wednesday to name a successor.
Elsewhere, Audi AG (XETRA:NSUG) gained 0.45% after the auto maker said it was planning to introduce technology to enable autonomous driving in urban traffic.
In London, FTSE 100 declined 0.36%, as the prospect of Scottish independence continued to rattle investors.
Financial stocks were mostly lower, as Barclays (LONDON:BARC) slipped 0.23% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) saw shares slump 0.33%, while Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) retreated 0.42%. The Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) was steady, inching up 0.03%.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were on the upside. Shares in Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) and Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) advanced 0.40% and 0.43% respectively, while rivals Fresnillo (LONDON:FRES) and Randgold Resources (LONDON:RRS) jumped 0.83% and 1.05%.
Kingfisher (LONDON:KGF) led gains on the index, surging 2.64% after the home-improvement retailer said Ian Cheshire will step down as chief executive officer. He will be succeeded by Veronique Laury, currently the head of the French Castorama unit.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.16% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.16% loss, while the NASDAQ 100 futures indicated a 0.14% slip.
Also Wednesday, official data showed that French industrial production rose 0.2% in July, condounfing expectations for a 0.4% fall. June's figure was revised to a 1.2% increase from a previously estimated 1.3% gain.