Investing.com - European stocks were steady to lower on Thursday, as a fresh round of corporate earnigns was set to be released and as investors eyed the Bank of England’s monetary policy decision due later in the day.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 declined 0.33%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.15%, while Germany’s DAX 30 declined 0.41%.
Global equity markets were roiled by the Dow Jones industrial average’s historical close above the 22,000 threshold on Wednesday.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) inched up 0.02% and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) declined 0.60% in France, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) tumbled 1.09% and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) climbed 0.58% in Germany.
French lender Credit Agricole (PA:CAGR) tumbled 1.22% after reporting a 0.6% fall in second-quarter revenues. However, the groupe said its core capital ratio climbed to 12.4% and that net income increased by 17%.
Among peripheral lenders, Unicredit (MI:CRDI) rose 0.25% and Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) slid 0.30% in Italy, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) lost 0.97% and 1.26%.
Elsewhere, Adidas (DE:ADSGN) lost 1.02% even after the German sportswear firm said sales grew 28% in China and 26% in North America, but they fell 11% in the Russian market.
Also in earnings news, German automaker BMW said pre-tax profit climbed 9.2% to €3.06 billion in the second quarter and that revenues rose 3.1% to €25.8 billion. The news sent shares up 1.00% in early trading.
In London, FTSE 100 dipped 0.06%, as investors remained cautious ahead of the BoE’s upcoming policy decision.
Mondi (LON:MNDI) was one of the worst performers on the index, with shares down 2.15% after the packaging and paper company said half-year underlying profit dropped 6%, affected by mill maintenance shutdowns.
Mining stocks added to losses on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) fell 0.27% and Glencore (LON:GLEN) slid 0.36%, while rival company Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) retreated 1.27%.
Randgold Resources (LON:RRS) overperformed however, as shares surged 5.08% after the gold miner reported second-quarter pre-tax profit of $150.2 million from $80.3 million a year earlier. The group also said revenue jumped 22% to $336.8 million.
In the financial sector, stocks were mixed. Barclays (LON:BARC) saw shares drop 0.51% and HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) declined 0.91%, while Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) gained 0.46% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) advanced 0.97%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.06% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.14% fall, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.11% slip.