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European stocks mixed, all eyes on Trump; DAX down 0.08%

Published 01/20/2017, 03:36 AM
Updated 01/20/2017, 03:36 AM
© Reuters. Frankfurt Stock Exchange

© Reuters. Frankfurt Stock Exchange

Investing.com - European stocks were mixed on Friday, as markets were jittery ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony scheduled later in the day and as investors were still digesting dovish comments by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi.

During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.24%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.11%, while Germany’s DAX 30 edged down 0.08%.

Investors remained cautious ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Friday, amid sustained uncertainty over the new U.S. administration’s fiscal and economic policies.

On Thursday, ECB President Mario Draghi acknowledged that the growth outlook for the euro area has improved, but reiterated that quantitative easing can be increased if the outlook becomes less favorable.

The comments came after the ECB left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record-low 0.0%, in line with forecasts, and kept the size of its monthly quantitative easing program at approximately €80 billion.

Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) and BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) gained 0.08% and 0.32%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) jumped 1.46% and 2.15%.

Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) climbed 0.81%. Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) underperformed, slipping 0.15% and 0.29% respectively.

Elsewhere, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (PA:LVMH) edged down 0.29% after the luxury goods group announced plans to buy up to 10% of eyewear group Marcolin.

In London, FTSE 100 slipped 0.12%, weighed by Royal Mail (LON:RMG), whose shares plummeted 2.28% after saying that letter volumes dropped 6% in the nine months to 25 December.

Mining stocks added to losses on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in Anglo American (LON:AAL) retreated 0.88% and BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) lost 1.07%, while rivals Glencore (LON:GLEN) and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) tumbled 1.07% and 1.68% respectively.

In the financial sector, stocks were mostly higher as Barclays (LON:BARC) eased up 0.09% and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) advanced 0.94%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) rallied 1.01%. HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) underperformed however, with shares down 0.19%.

Whitbread (LON:WTB) was one of the top performers on the index, with shares up 1.57% after analysts at Barclays upgraded their rating on the stock to “equal weight”.

In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% dip, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.15% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.23% rise.

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