Investing.com - European markets moved lower on Wednesday, as investors became more cautious ahead of the first earnings season of the year.
The EURO STOXX 50 declined 0.31%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.19%, while Germany’s DAX 30 was down 0.32% by 03:30 a.m. ET (07:30 GMT).
European equities were boosted on Tuesday after data showed that euro zone economic sentiment improved more than expected last month, while German industrial production increased more than projected in November.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) and BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) gained 0.46% and 0.60%, while Germany's Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) surged 1.91% and 2.52%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Unicredit (MI:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) advanced 0.49% and 1.27% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) rose 0.28% and 0.42%.
Elsewhere, France's Sodexo (PA:EXHO) edged up 0.14% after announcing a deal with Huawei during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to China.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DE:LHAG) added to gains, with shares up 1.20% after the German airliner said it plans to hire more than 8,000 people in 2018.
In London, FTSE 100 inched up 0.05%, led by Micro Focus International PLC (LON:MCRO), whose shares surged 3.59% after the company said that overall revenue for the six months to October grew by 80% to $1.2 billion, while pre-tax profit increased 34% to $145.7 million.
Financial stocks were also broadly higher, as Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) edged up 0.16% and HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) jumped 2.04%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) rallied 2.39%. Barclays (LON:BARC) underperformed, as shares declined 0.59%.
J Sainsbury (OTC:JSAIY) saw shares climb 0.44% even as the supermarket reported quarterly sales in line with expectations but warned of a challenging market.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were lower on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) slid 0.72% and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) retreated 0.76%, while Anglo American (LON:AAL) dropped 0.72%.
Taylor Wimpey (LON:TW) was one of the worst performers on the index as shares tumbled 3.23% even after the builder said its results in 2017 will be in line with expectations and that it anticipates further growth this year.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.16% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.21% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.23% loss.