Investing.com - European stocks were mixed on Friday, as markets were jittery ahead of the release of economic growth data from the euro zone later in the trading session, as well as a batch of U.S. reports.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 inched up 0.03%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.01%, while Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.10%.
Earlier Friday, data showed that Germany’s gross domestic product rose 0.4% in the second quarter, exceeding expectations for a growth rate of 0.2%. Germany’s GDP increased by 0.7% in the three months to March.
Elsewhere, official data showed that China’s industrial production rose by an annualized rate of 6.0% in July, compared to expectations for a 6.1% increase and after a 6.2% gain in June.
Another report showed that the country’s retail sales rose by an annualized rate of 10.2% last month, confounding expectations for a 10.5% increase.
The data added to concerns over a slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) rose 0.20% and 0.16%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) added 0.16% and 0.49%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) gained 0.41% and 0.86% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) advanced 0.23% and 0.21%.
Thyssenkrupp AG (DE:TKAG) pared the previous session’s losses and climbed 0.98%. The German industrial conglomerate was hit on Thursday after reporting a 34% drop in net profit for the third quarter of its fiscal 2016.
On the downside, Deutsche Telekom (DE:DTEGn) retreated 0.63% after saying on Thursday that second-quarter core profit increased by 8.6%.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 dipped 0.05%, weighed by losses in the mining sector.
Shares in Glencore (LON:GLEN) slid 0.36% and Randgold Resources (LON:RRS) lost 1.22%, while rival company Fresnillo (LON:FRES) tumbled 1.42%.
In the financial sector, stocks were mixed. Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) fell 0.27% and HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) declined 0.34%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) gained 0.46% and Barclays (LON:BARC) advanced 0.77%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% rise, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.01% uptick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.02% gain.