Investing.com – European stocks struggles for gains on Tuesday as investors waited for what would be a busy end of the week for global equities.
Nearing midday trade in Europe, the benchmark Euro Stoxx 50 lost 0.22%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.05% and Germany’s DAX 30 fell 0.18%.
Major events on the radar included the two-day meeting beginning on Thursday between U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s own Xi Jinping to discuss trade deficits between the world’s two largest economies or the U.S. employment report on Friday.
Inside Europe, Germany will publish data on factory orders for February on Thursday, followed by German, French and Spanish industrial production data due on Friday.
In data out Tuesday, euro zone retail sales rose 0.7% in February from the prior month, beating expectations for a gain of 0.5%.
In the U.K., construction activity eased slightly more than expected due primarily to a loss of momentum in housebuilding, according to a Markit report.
Meanwhile, oil prices edged lower in European trading on Tuesday, extending a decline from a four-week high as a rebound in Libyan crude production and an ongoing increase in U.S. shale drilling activity exacerbated concerns about a supply glut.
Energy stocks traded with mixed signs, as French oil and gas major Total SA (PA:TOTF) gained 0.80% and Italy’s ENI (MI:ENI) rose 0.13%, but Norwegian rival Statoil (OL:STL) traded down 0.34%.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) fell 0.78% and 1.40%, respectively, while Germany’s Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and rival Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) rival slumped 1.27% and 2.71%, respectively.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) fell 0.24% and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) lost 0.92%, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) traded down 0.11% but BBVA (MC:BBVA) inched up 0.09%.
In London, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.26%.
Shares in Glencore (LON:GLEN) gained 0.72%, Anglo American (LON:AAL) edged forward 0.04%, while BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) advanced 0.61% and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) traded up 0.79%.
Energy stocks climbed, as BP (LON:BP) rose 0.67% and rival Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSa) gained 0.34%.
Financial stocks showed mixed trade, with shares in HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) up 0.36% while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) fell 0.79%, while Barclays (LON:BARC) lost 0.79% and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) gained 0.49%.
In the U.S., futures pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 0.26%, S&P 500 futures lost 0.30%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.30%.