Investing.com - European markets opened lower on Thursday, as investors focused on a highly-anticipated vote in Catalonia and digested the vote of a major U.S. tax reform bill.
Trading volumes were expected to become more and more thin throughout the week, ahead of the Christmas holiday.
The EURO STOXX 50 slid 0.41%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.49%, while Germany’s DAX 30 was down 0.29% by 03:35 a.m. ET (07:35 GMT).
Catalonia voters were set to go to the polls on Thursday for a regional election following weeks of political uncertainty. In October, Spain\'s government sacked the regional government after it declared independence.
Elsewhere, the House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to the biggest U.S. tax overhaul in 30 years. The Senate had approved the bill earlier Wednesday.
The bill will now go to President Donald Trump\'s desk to be signed into law. The vote marks President Trump\'s first major political victory.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) declined 0.49% and 0.56%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) tumbled 1.53% and 1.02%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy\'s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) retreated 0.50% and 0.56% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BBVA (MC:BBVA) slid 0.59% and 0.44%.
Saint Gobain (PA:SGOB) added to losses, with shares down 0.75%. The French company announced earlier in the week that it had entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Norway\'s Per Strand, a major building distribution generalist.
In London, FTSE 100 dipped 0.05%, weighed by United Utilities Group PLC (LON:UU), whose shares plummeted 2.06%
Financial stocks were also on the downside, as HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) dipped 0.07% and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) eased 0.09%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) dropped 0.67% and Barclays (LON:BARC) retreated 0.69%.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were broadly higher, as Glencore (LON:GLEN) gained 0.38% and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) advanced 0.64%, while BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) and Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) gained 0.77% and 0.84% respectively.
Shire plc (NASDAQ:SHPG) was also higher for a second consecutive session. The stock had dropped earlier in the week after saying that a phase 2/3 trial of its treatment for Hunter syndrome in pediatric patients failed to meet its primary and secondary endpoints.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a mixed open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.06% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.01% uptick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.10% fall.