Investing.com - European stocks turned mixed on Wednesday, as investors turned their attention to upcoming comments by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, although concerns over ongoing violence in Ukraine continued to weigh.
During European afternoon trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 eased 0.04%, France’s CAC 40 inched 0.01% higher, while Germany’s DAX edged up 0.07%.
Data earlier showed that German factory orders slumped 2.8% in March from a year earlier, confounding expectations for a 0.3% increase.
A separate report showed that French industrial production dropped 0.7% in March, confounding expectations for a 0.2% rise and following a 0.1% uptick in February.
Meanwhile, markets were jittery as violence flared overnight in the eastern Ukrainian port of Mariupol, where one person was killed and three wounded in an attack on a checkpoint.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he would meet ministers in Europe next week to discuss the next steps to take on the Ukrainian crisis.
Financial stocks remained broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) declined 0.12% and 1.63%, while Germany's Deutsche (XETRA:DBKGn) retreated 0.60%.
Earlier in the day, Societe Generale reported a 13% drop in first-quarter profit after writing down goodwill at its Russian unit, while Credit Agricole (PARIS:CAGR), France's third biggest bank, said profit climbed 85% in the first quarter. Credit Agricole shares surged 3.60% following the report.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) tumbled 1.59% and 1.80% respectively, while Spanish bank BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) shed 0.40%.
Elsewhere, Veolia Environnement (PARIS:VIE) reported a 7.3% decline in first-quarter profit, affected by a mild European winter, sending shares in the water company down 4.16%.
On the upside, Spanish oil producer Repsol (MADRID:REP) rose 0.36% after selling a 12% stake in Argentina’s YPF (BA:YPFD) for $1.26 billion.
In London, FTSE 100 slipped 0.26%, as U.K. lenders continued to track their European counterparts lower.
Shares in Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) tumbled 1.41% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) lost 1.19%, while Barclays (LONDON:BARC) plummeted 1.86%. The Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) overperformed on the other hand, gaining 0.68%.
Mining stocks added to losses, as Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) dropped 0.62% and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) declined 0.50%, while rival Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) retreated 0.92%.
Meanwhile, Legal & General (LONDON:LGEN) remained one of the top performers on the index, surging 2.83%, after the insurer and fund manager said cash generation increased 21% on the year to £301 million in the first quarter.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to lower open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.02% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.01% downtick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.19% fall.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was to testify before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, in Washington.