Investing.com - European stocks edged higher on Friday, supported by a good batch of corporate earnings reports, although disappointing data German retail sales limited gains.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 edged 0.15% higher, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.46%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.14%.
Earlier Friday, official data showed that German retail sales dropped 2.3% in June, confounding expectations for a 0.3% rise, after a revised 0.4% uptick the previous month.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) declined 0.41% and BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) surged 3.04%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) advanced 0.82%.
BNP Paribas, France’s largest bank, earlier reported a swing to its highest quarterly profit in more than three years.
Among peripheral lenders, Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) rallied 0.95% and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) slipped 0.17% in Italy, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) retreated 0.54% and 1.37%.
Elsewhere, Airbus Group (PARIS:AIR) SE surged 2.98% after posting an increase in earnings, thanks to higher deliveries of civil airliners.
Vinci SA (PARIS:SGEF) added to gains, with shares up 2.28%, after Europe’s biggest builder raised its earnings target for 2015.
Shares in ArcelorMittal SA (AMS:ISPA) rallied 1.68% after the company said profit exceeded analysts’ estimates.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 dipped 0.04%, weighed by sharp losses in the mining sector.
Shares in Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) dropped 0.73% and 0.88% respectively, while Glencore (LONDON:GLEN) tumbled 1.80% and Antofagasta (LONDON:ANTO) plummeted 2.58%.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (LONDON:IHG) saw shares plunge 2.48% after denying it is in merger talks with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE:HOT) Inc.
Meanwhile, finacial stocks were steady to lower, with HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) inching up 0.06% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) dipping 0.04%, while Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) declined 0.77%. Barclays (LONDON:BARC) overperformed however, with shares rising 0.24%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.04% uptick, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.06% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.08% rise.