Investing.com - European stocks were steady to lower in more cautious trade on Thursday, as markets were still jittery after the terrorist attack perpetrated in London on Wednesday and as investors continued to focus on U.S. president Donald Trump’s policies.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.26%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.22%, while Germany’s DAX 30 dipped 0.01%.
Market sentiment waned after five people, including a police officer and one man believed to be the attacker, were killed on Wednesday in an attack that London police are calling a "terrorist incident."
The suspect mowed down pedestrians in a vehicle on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing the officer outside the Houses of Parliament and being shot and killed.
Investors were also cautious ahead of a key vote on U.S. President Donald Trump’s healthcare bill later in the day.
Investors were especially concerned about Trump’s ability to gather enough support for his healthcare bill – set to replace Obamacare and one of his key campaign pledges.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) fell 0.05% and 0.13%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) edged down 0.13% and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) gained 0.72%.
Among peripheral lenders, Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) rallied 1.60% and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) slipped 0.21% in Italy, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BBVA (MC:BBVA) gained 0.51% and 0.35%.
Elsewhere, Merck & Company (NYSE:MRK) Inc (SIX:MRKUSD) shares rose 0.25% even as an appeals court in Philadelphia ruled on Wednesday that plaintiffs may proceed to trial in their lawsuit accusing the company of failing to provide adequate warning on the risk of thigh bone fractures associated with osteoporosis medicine Fosamax.
In London, FTSE 100 slipped 0.21%, weighed by Kingfisher (LON:KGF), whose shares plummeted 2.29% after saying on Wednesday that falling sales at its French operations offset much of the benefit from the weaker pound and growth at its UK-based chain Screwfix.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mixed. Shares in Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) dipped 0.06% and Barclays (LON:BARC) fell 0.23%, while HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) edged up 0.08% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) rose 0.26%.
Mining stocks were also mixed on the commodity-heavy index, as Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) and BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) slid 0.34% and 0.43% respectively, while Glencore (LON:GLEN) gained 0.80% and Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) rallied 1.01%.
Tesco (LON:TSCO) was one of the top performers on the index, with shares up 1.21% after the supermarket chain refused to accept price increases from Heineken, which the brewer blamed on Brexit and the budget, and pulled Sol, Amstel and Tiger from its shelves.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.05% dip, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.04% uptick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.05% loss.