Investing.com - European stocks were lower on Thursday, as concerns over the Greek debt crisis once again took over market sentiment, while markets eyed the minutes of the European Central Bank's most recent policy meeting due later in the day.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slid 0.67%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.48%, while Germany’s DAX 30 retreated 0.66%.
Markets were jittery, as Athens was expected to submit a request for an extension of its existing loan agreement with the euro zone, which differentiates from its bailout, later Thursday.
Global equities had strengthened on Wednesday, after the minutes of the Federal Reserve's January meeting showd that policymakers expressed concern that raising interest rates too soon could dampen the U.S. economic recovery.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) slid 0.37% and 0.39%, while Germany's Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) declined 0.13% and 0.63%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) retreated 0.45%, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) fell 0.30% and 0.35% respectively.
Elsewhere, Air France KLM (PARIS:AIRF) shares plunged 5.02% after the airliner said profit dropped nearly 15% last year, as the longest pilot strike in the company's history affected ticket prices.
On the upside, shares in Nestle (SIX:NESN) climbed 0.77% as the world's biggest food company forecast 2015 sales growth near the low end of its long-term target after reporting the slowest annual sales growth in five years.
In London, FTSE 100 declined 0.49%, led by Centrica Plc (LONDON:CNA), down 7.56% after the utilities company said that full-year operating profits dropped by 35% to £1.75 billion. The group also said it will have to cut capital investment in the North Sea by 40% between now and 2016.
Mining stocks added to losses, as Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) declined 0.42% and Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) lost 0.63%, while Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) tumbled 1.61%.
In the financial sector, stocks were also broadly lower. Shares in Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) dropped 0.52% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) retreated 0.61%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) slid 0.63% and Barclays (LONDON:BARC) plummeted 1.11%.
Meanwhile, BAE Systems (LONDON:BAES) plunged 2.39% after the defense company said full-year earnings declined 12%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.30% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.33% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.17% loss.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish a report on manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region and the weekly government figures on initial jobless claims.