Investing.com - European stocks were steady to lower in light trade on Thursday, as traders were beginning to unwind positions ahead of the Christmas holiday.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased 0.09%, France’s CAC 40 edged down 0.09%, while Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.15%.
Investors were still cautious after Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot and killed at an art gallery in the Turkish capital of Ankara Monday evening.
A few hours later, a truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring up to 50 others.
Financial stocks were higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) gained 0.64% and 0.11%, while Germany’s Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) added 0.04% and 0.16%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) rose 0.08% and 0.56% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) edged up 0.11% and 0.22%.
Actelion surged 6.56% following news the Swiss company officially entered exclusive negotiations with U.S. peer Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).
Sanofi (PA:SASY), which is seen as another possible contender for an Actelion buyout, saw shares rally 1.82% Thursday morning.
On the downside, Nokia (HE:NOKIA) plunged 4.95% amid reports its plans to sue Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) for patent infringement.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 slipped 0.16%, weighed by sharp losses in the miing sector.
Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) dropped 0.97% and BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) lost 1.04%, while rival company Glencore (LON:GLEN) tumbled 1.25%.
Financial stocks were also broadly lower, as Barclays (LON:BARC) fell 0.21% and HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) slid 0.34%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) retreated 0.44% and 0.47% respectively.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.10% fall, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.12% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.12% slip.