Investing.com - European stocks were mixed on Friday, as investors remained cautious ahead of the release of third-quarter economic growth data from the euro zone and as declining commodity prices continued to weigh on market sentiment.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased up 0.02%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.01%, while Germany’s DAX 30 inched 0.07% higher.
Preliminary data on Friday showed that German gross domestic product rose 0.3% in the third quarter, in line with expectations and down from the previous quarter's growth rate of 0.4%.
French GDP also rose 0.3% in the three months to September, in line with expectations.
Meanwhile, the weakening commdities markets dampened market sentiment.
Gold prices hit a five-year low on Thursday amid growing expectations for a December rate hike in the U.S., while oil prices continued to struggle at two-and-a-half month lows due to sustained supply glut concerns.
Financial stocks were broadly mixed, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) rose 0.21% and 0.19%, while Germany's Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) lost 0.17% and 1.07%.
Among peripheral lenders, Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) edged down 0.19% and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) added 0.18% in Italy, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BBVA (MC:BBVA) slid 0.22% and 0.35% respectively.
Elsewhere, Roche Holding AG (VX:RO) gained 0.67% amid reports it plans to stop manufacturing at four sites in Europe and the U.S. in a move that could lead to 1,200 job losses.
Bouygues (PA:BOUY) SA surged 3.34% after the French building, media and telecommunications conglomerate reported a rise in quarterly earnings amid cost cuts.
Syngenta AG (VX:SYNN) added to gains, with shares soaring 9.80% following news China National Chemical Corp. is in talks to buy the Swiss pesticide maker.
In London, FTSE 100 fell 0.27%, still weighed by Rolls-Royce (L:RR) Holding, whose shares plummeted 3.12% after the stock's price target was cut on Thursday by analysts at BNP Paribas from £840 to £685.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mostly higher. Shares in Barclays (L:BARC) and Lloyds Banking (L:LLOY) rose 0.20% and 0.22%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (L:RBS) advanced 0.97%. HSBC Holdings (L:HSBA) underperformed, slipping 0.14%.
Mining stocks were also broadly higher on the commodity-heavy index, as Fresnillo (L:FRES) rose 0.30% and Bhp Billiton (L:BLT) rallied 1.16%, while Rio Tinto (L:RIO) jumped 1.33% and Glencore (L:GLEN) surged 1.99%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.26% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.26% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.09% uptick.