Investing.com - European stocks opened lower on Wednesday, as uncertainty over the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election continued to weigh on market sentiment.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slid 0.69%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.76%, while Germany’s DAX 30 declined 0.84%.
Investors remained cautious after the FBI said last Friday that it would review more emails related to Hillary Clinton's private email use while she was secretary of state.
The news sparked fresh uncertainty over Mrs. Clinton’s election prospects ahead of the November 8 vote, amid fears over the implications of a victory for Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) plunged 3.36% and 2.51%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) lost 1.32% and 3.20%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) plummeted 2.05% and 2.70% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BBVA (MC:BBVA) tumbled 1.28% and 1.96%.
Lufthansa AG VNA O.N. (DE:LHAG) added to losses, with shares declining 1.21% after the airline company said third-quarter adjusted earnings before interest and taxes dropped 6.5%.
On the upside, Hugo Boss AG NA O.N. (DE:BOSSn) saw shares surge 7.01% after the luxury retailer said third-quarter profits declined were still better-than-expected.
In London, FTSE 100 retreated 0.55%, as U.K. lenders tracked their European counterparts sharply lower.
Shares in Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) lost 1.26% and HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) tumbled 1.31%, while Barlcays and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) plummeted 1.86% and 2.20% respectively.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed on the commodity-heavy index. Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) slid 0.70% and Glencore (LON:GLEN) declined 1.12%, while Fresnillo (LON:FRES) jumped 1.05% and Randgold Resources (LON:RRS) rallied 2.10%.
Persimmon (LON:PSN) was one of the top performers on the index, with shares up 1.73% after saying its second-half operating margin improved from the first half.
EasyJet PLC (LON:EZJ) was also on the upside, as shares surged 2.13% after pilots called off strike threats, saying that concerns about fatigue had ended after they accepted new proposals from the airline.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.30% slide, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.30% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.29% fall.