Investing.com - European stocks were mixed to lower on Thursday, as markets were jittery ahead of the Bank of England's policy statement later in the day, while Wednesday's positive German data eased expectations for an additional rate cut by the European Central Bank.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 retreated 0.51%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.86%, while Germany’s DAX 30 dipped 0.02%.
German industrial output jumped 1.2% in March data on Wednesday showed, confounding expectations for a 0.1% decline.
The data fuelled optimism over the outlook for first quarter growth in the euro zone’s largest economy after Germany’s gross domestic product contracted by 0.5% in the three months to December.
The data also dampened speculation over the possibility of further rate cuts by the ECB after the bank indicated Monday that further rate cuts were possible.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale added 0.02% and 0.72%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank climbed 0.81%.
Amid peripheral lenders, Spanish banks BBVA and Banco Santander edged up 0.13% and 0.18% respectively, while Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit trended lower on the other hand, slipping 0.28% and 0.39%.
Elsewhere, Nokia saw shares advance 0.74% after the Finnish cellphone company unveiled new software to run its Asha devices and a pact that lets customers use Facebook for free on their handsets.
In London, commodiy-heavy FTSE 100 eased up 0.06%, supported by gains in mining stocks.
Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton gained 0.44% and 1.73%, while Anglo American climbed 0.87% and Evraz surged 2.01%.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mostly higher. Barclays added 0.39% and Lloyds Banking jumped 0.96%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland rallied 1.51%.
HSBC Holdings underperformed on the other hand, declining 0.67%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.06% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.11% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.08% fall.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release official data on initial jobless claims.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 retreated 0.51%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.86%, while Germany’s DAX 30 dipped 0.02%.
German industrial output jumped 1.2% in March data on Wednesday showed, confounding expectations for a 0.1% decline.
The data fuelled optimism over the outlook for first quarter growth in the euro zone’s largest economy after Germany’s gross domestic product contracted by 0.5% in the three months to December.
The data also dampened speculation over the possibility of further rate cuts by the ECB after the bank indicated Monday that further rate cuts were possible.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale added 0.02% and 0.72%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank climbed 0.81%.
Amid peripheral lenders, Spanish banks BBVA and Banco Santander edged up 0.13% and 0.18% respectively, while Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit trended lower on the other hand, slipping 0.28% and 0.39%.
Elsewhere, Nokia saw shares advance 0.74% after the Finnish cellphone company unveiled new software to run its Asha devices and a pact that lets customers use Facebook for free on their handsets.
In London, commodiy-heavy FTSE 100 eased up 0.06%, supported by gains in mining stocks.
Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton gained 0.44% and 1.73%, while Anglo American climbed 0.87% and Evraz surged 2.01%.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mostly higher. Barclays added 0.39% and Lloyds Banking jumped 0.96%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland rallied 1.51%.
HSBC Holdings underperformed on the other hand, declining 0.67%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.06% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.11% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.08% fall.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release official data on initial jobless claims.