Investing.com – European stock markets were mixed on Wednesday, as losses in the financial sector offset gains in insurers, while U.S. futures indexes pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slumped 0.11%, France’s CAC 40 shed 0.07%, while Germany's DAX was up 0.05%.
Shares in the financial sector were broadly lower ahead of a Portuguese debt auction of EUR750 million to be held later in the day.
Spain’s largest lender Banco Santander tumbled 1.21%, rival BBVA saw shares slide 1.19%, while shares in Europe’s largest financial service provider BNP Paribas shed 0.93%.
However, shares in European insurers were broadly higher after Standard & Poor’s Equity Research lifted its recommendation on the sector to ‘overweight’.
Shares in Dutch insurance group Aegon jumped 3.25%, while the third largest U.K. insurer Old Mutual saw shares rise 1.01%.
In London, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.16% as gains in commodity-linked shares were offset by losses in the financial sector.
Shares in the world’s largest mining group BHP Billiton added 0.88%, oil and gas giant British Petroleum saw shares gain 0.85%, while shares in energy producer Essar Energy jumped 1.27% as crude oil prices hovered near a two-year high.
But shares in banking giant HSBC Holdings slumped 0.98%, Royal Bank of Scotland saw shares drop 0.65%, while shares in Barclays fell 0.59%.
Elsewhere on the FTSE, shares in the world’s largest book publisher Pearson soared 4.97% after it lifted its full-year earnings outlook, saying it now expected to report a profit of approximately GBP850 million in 2010, up 20% from a year earlier. The book publisher is to report its 2010 full-year earnings report on March 1.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat ahead of earnings reports from global financial service provider Goldman Sachs and from the world’s largest online trading community eBay.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a loss of 0.06%, S&P 500 futures indicated a drop of 0.16%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures pointed to a decline of 0.05%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on building permits as well as a report on housing starts.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slumped 0.11%, France’s CAC 40 shed 0.07%, while Germany's DAX was up 0.05%.
Shares in the financial sector were broadly lower ahead of a Portuguese debt auction of EUR750 million to be held later in the day.
Spain’s largest lender Banco Santander tumbled 1.21%, rival BBVA saw shares slide 1.19%, while shares in Europe’s largest financial service provider BNP Paribas shed 0.93%.
However, shares in European insurers were broadly higher after Standard & Poor’s Equity Research lifted its recommendation on the sector to ‘overweight’.
Shares in Dutch insurance group Aegon jumped 3.25%, while the third largest U.K. insurer Old Mutual saw shares rise 1.01%.
In London, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.16% as gains in commodity-linked shares were offset by losses in the financial sector.
Shares in the world’s largest mining group BHP Billiton added 0.88%, oil and gas giant British Petroleum saw shares gain 0.85%, while shares in energy producer Essar Energy jumped 1.27% as crude oil prices hovered near a two-year high.
But shares in banking giant HSBC Holdings slumped 0.98%, Royal Bank of Scotland saw shares drop 0.65%, while shares in Barclays fell 0.59%.
Elsewhere on the FTSE, shares in the world’s largest book publisher Pearson soared 4.97% after it lifted its full-year earnings outlook, saying it now expected to report a profit of approximately GBP850 million in 2010, up 20% from a year earlier. The book publisher is to report its 2010 full-year earnings report on March 1.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat ahead of earnings reports from global financial service provider Goldman Sachs and from the world’s largest online trading community eBay.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a loss of 0.06%, S&P 500 futures indicated a drop of 0.16%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures pointed to a decline of 0.05%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on building permits as well as a report on housing starts.