Investing.com – European stocks were mixed during choppy trade on Thursday, amid fresh concerns over the global economic recovery; meanwhile U.S. futures indexes pointed to a lower open on Wall Street ahead of key U.S. employment data.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.04%; France’s CAC 40 shed 0.21% and Germany's DAX edged up 0.01%.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that retail sales in the U.K. fell more-than-expected in August. Year-on-year sales rose 0.4%, the smallest increase since April.
Auto-makers were broadly lower after the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said that new car registrations in August dropped 13% on the year, falling for the fifth consecutive month.
Shares in French auto-make Peugeot Citroen fell 1.54% while shares in Porsche tumbled 2.53%.
Elsewhere, shares in Europe’s largest engineering company, Siemens jumped 3.63% after Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs raised their ratings on the stock.
Meanwhile, shares in Ericsson, the world’s biggest maker of mobile networks tumbled 3.0% after the company's earnings outlook was cut by analysts.
In London, the commodity heavy FTSE 100 was down 0.12% as metal prices retreated. Shares in Rio Tinto fell 0.76%, while shares in Vedanta Resources dropped 0.94%.
However oil stocks were higher, with shares in BP surging 1.70% and Royal Dutch Shell advancing 1.37%.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a drop of 0.07%, S&P 500 futures pointed to a slide of 0.10% and Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a dip of 0.01%.
Later in the day the U.S. was to release official data on initial jobless claims and producer price inflation.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.04%; France’s CAC 40 shed 0.21% and Germany's DAX edged up 0.01%.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that retail sales in the U.K. fell more-than-expected in August. Year-on-year sales rose 0.4%, the smallest increase since April.
Auto-makers were broadly lower after the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said that new car registrations in August dropped 13% on the year, falling for the fifth consecutive month.
Shares in French auto-make Peugeot Citroen fell 1.54% while shares in Porsche tumbled 2.53%.
Elsewhere, shares in Europe’s largest engineering company, Siemens jumped 3.63% after Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs raised their ratings on the stock.
Meanwhile, shares in Ericsson, the world’s biggest maker of mobile networks tumbled 3.0% after the company's earnings outlook was cut by analysts.
In London, the commodity heavy FTSE 100 was down 0.12% as metal prices retreated. Shares in Rio Tinto fell 0.76%, while shares in Vedanta Resources dropped 0.94%.
However oil stocks were higher, with shares in BP surging 1.70% and Royal Dutch Shell advancing 1.37%.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a drop of 0.07%, S&P 500 futures pointed to a slide of 0.10% and Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a dip of 0.01%.
Later in the day the U.S. was to release official data on initial jobless claims and producer price inflation.