Investing.com - European stocks were lower on Friday, as investors continued to lock in profits from significant gains posted earlier in the week and eyed the release of service sector activity data from the euro zone later in the day.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.23%, France’s CAC 40 edged down 0.11%, while Germany’s DAX 30 declined 0.42%.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) and BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) gained 0.46% and 0.88%, while Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) advanced 0.39% and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) edged down 0.15% in Germany.
Among peripheral lenders, Spain’s BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) lost 0.08% and 0.52% respectively, while Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) eased 0.09% and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) edged up 0.15% in Italy.
Elsewhere, Linde AG (DE:LING) saw shares tumble 1.77% as German worker opposition to the company’s planned merger with Praxair (NYSE:PX) has resurfaced after trade union IG Metall learned of a message from Praxair's chief executive promising to run the company in the style of more profitable Praxair.
Continental AG (DE:CONG) added to losses, with shares declining 0.79% after the German tire maker Continental announced plans on Thursday to will raise its dividend for 2016 as net profit for the year slightly improved.
In London, FTSE 100 slid 0.37%, weighed by WPP (LON:WPP), whose shares plunged 5.76% after the advertising company said revenue growth slowed in the second half of last year as clients spent less in the U.S. and U.K.
Mining stocks were also broadly lower on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in Glencore (LON:GLEN) declined 0.72% and Randgold Resources (LON:RRS) lost 1.50%, while rival company Fresnillo (LON:FRES) plummeted 4.40%.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mostly higher. HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) added 0.12% and Barclays (LON:BARC) edged up 0.15%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) rose 0.24%. Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) held steady, with shares dipping 0.07%.
Vodafone (LON:VOD) was one of the top performers on the index, as shares rose 0.37% amid reports the telecoms company is launching what it calls the world’s largest program to recruit women who have taken a career break.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.23% fall, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.28% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.27% loss.