Investing.com - European stocks turned mixed to lower in subdued trade on Tuesday, as investors remained cautious after downbeat Chinese trade data over the weekend continued to weigh on global equities.
During European afternoon trade, the EURO STOXX 50 inched up 0.06%, France’s CAC 40 shed 0.38%, while Germany’s DAX 30 rose 0.26%.
Equities were hit on Monday, after data released over the weekend showed that Chinese exports fell 18.1% on a year-over-year basis in February, confounding expectations for a 6.8% increase, following a rise of 10.6% in January.
The data added to fears over a slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.
Financial stocks turned broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale slid 0.37% and 0.71%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank tumbled 1.13%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish banks Banco Santander and BBVA fell 0.04% and 0.17%. Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo overperformed however, adding 0.12% and 0.44% respectively.
Elsewhere, Geberit AG surged 2.55% after naming a new chief executive officer and posting an increase in profitability.
In London, FTSE 100 slipped 0.17%, as U.K. lenders tracked their European counterparts lower.
Shares in Lloyds Banking dropped 0.94% and the Royal Bank of Scotland plummeted 2.14%, while Barclays lost 2.55%. HSBC Holdings overperformed, edging up 0.10%.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed. Glencore Xstrata retreated 0.95% and BHP Billiton declined 0.85%, while rivals Rio Tinto gained 0.38%.
African Barrick Gold Plc dove 15.29 after Barrick Gold Corp. began selling a 10% stake in its African unit.
On the upside, Close Brothers Group rallied 3.06% after raising its dividend by more than projected.
In addition, data showed that U.K. manufacturing output rose more than expected in January, but bad weather hampered the broader measure of industrial output.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.09% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.12% fall, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.06% dip.