Investing.com - European stocks were steady to lower on Thursday, as markets took a breather after a positive batch of corporate earnings reports sent equities rallying on Wednesday.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slipped 0.13%, France’s CAC 40 inched down 0.09%, while Germany’s DAX 30 eased up 0.03%.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) eased 0.03% and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) inched up 0.01% in France, while Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) slid 0.49% and Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) gained 0.29% in Germany.
Among peripheral lenders, Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) rose 0.34% and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) dropped 0.38% in Italy, while Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) slipped 0.21% and 0.26% respectively.
In earnings news, Zurich Insurance Group AG (SIX:ZURN) plunged 3.66% after reporting earnings below analyst's projections.
Danish biotech company Novozymes (COP:NZYMb) saw shares dive 9.18% after reporting quarterly earnings that missed estimates.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 slid 0.36%, led by oil and gas major BP (LONDON:BP), whose shares were down 3.02%.
Mining giants Glencore (LONDON:GLEN) and Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) lost 0.82% and 1.21% respectively, while rival Anglo American (LONDON:AAL) saw shares plummet 2.79%.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mixed. Shares in Barclays (LONDON:BARC) slid 0.35% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) declined 0.86%, while Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) edged up 0.11% and 0.17%.
Elsewhere, insurance company Old Mutual PLC (LONDON:OML) surged 2.40% after reporting a rise in interim net profit, helped by a strong performance in the U.K. and South Africa.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% uptick, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.06% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.06% rise.