Investing.com - European stock markets were mixed on Thursday, as markets eyed French and Spanish debt auctions later in the day, while sentiment found mild support amid rumors of an imminent Greek debt swap deal.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 inched up 0.03%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.11%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.10%.
Later Thursday, Spain was to offer as much as EUR4.5 billion in short to medium term debt and France was offering up to EUR8 billion.
Meanwhile, sentiment was lifted by rumors that Greece's long-delayed deal with private sector creditors to cut its debt was nearly finalized. However, investors remained concerned that a debt swap deal will not go far enough to reduce the country’s debt load.
Financial stocks led gains as shares in France’s Societe Generale and BNP Paribas climbed 3.06% and 0.77%, while Dutch lender ING Group jumped 1.95%.
However, Germany’s Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank saw shares decline 1.41% and 0.42% respectively. Deutsche Bank said earlier that its profit slumped 76% in the fourth quarter due to effects of the euro zone’s debt crisis.
Elsewhere, Novo Nordisk jumped 1.30% as the world’s largest insulin producer reported a better-than-expected increase in fourth-quarter profit.
In London, FTSE 100 slipped 0.18%, despite strong gains in mining stocks.
Copper producer Xstrata surged 12.95% after confirming that it has received an approach from Glencore on a merger that would add mines from Africa to Asia to the world’s largest listed commodity trader. Glencore saw shares advance 4.11% after the news.
Meanwhile, mining giants Rio Tinto and Bhp Billiton climbed 2.61% and 2.03%.
Financial stocks were mixed with the Royal Bank of Scotland adding 0.72% and HSBC Holdings edging up 0.09%, while Barclays slipped 0.21%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to mixed open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.09%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.08% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.01% loss.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to testify before the House of Representatives budget committee. The U.S. was also to produce government data on initial jobless claims.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 inched up 0.03%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.11%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.10%.
Later Thursday, Spain was to offer as much as EUR4.5 billion in short to medium term debt and France was offering up to EUR8 billion.
Meanwhile, sentiment was lifted by rumors that Greece's long-delayed deal with private sector creditors to cut its debt was nearly finalized. However, investors remained concerned that a debt swap deal will not go far enough to reduce the country’s debt load.
Financial stocks led gains as shares in France’s Societe Generale and BNP Paribas climbed 3.06% and 0.77%, while Dutch lender ING Group jumped 1.95%.
However, Germany’s Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank saw shares decline 1.41% and 0.42% respectively. Deutsche Bank said earlier that its profit slumped 76% in the fourth quarter due to effects of the euro zone’s debt crisis.
Elsewhere, Novo Nordisk jumped 1.30% as the world’s largest insulin producer reported a better-than-expected increase in fourth-quarter profit.
In London, FTSE 100 slipped 0.18%, despite strong gains in mining stocks.
Copper producer Xstrata surged 12.95% after confirming that it has received an approach from Glencore on a merger that would add mines from Africa to Asia to the world’s largest listed commodity trader. Glencore saw shares advance 4.11% after the news.
Meanwhile, mining giants Rio Tinto and Bhp Billiton climbed 2.61% and 2.03%.
Financial stocks were mixed with the Royal Bank of Scotland adding 0.72% and HSBC Holdings edging up 0.09%, while Barclays slipped 0.21%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to mixed open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.09%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.08% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.01% loss.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to testify before the House of Representatives budget committee. The U.S. was also to produce government data on initial jobless claims.