Investing.com - European stocks opened lower on Thursday, as speculation over a potential U.S. rate hike as soon as next month weighed on global equities and as security concerns following this week’s Brussels terrorist attacks also persisted.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 dropped 0.86%, France’s CAC 40 tumbled 1.18%, while Germany’s DAX 30 declined 0.77%.
Equity markets weakened after several Federal Reserve members signaled earlier this week the possibility for a U.S. rate hike in April.
Meanwhile, investors also remained cautious after a series of terrorist attacks in Brussels on Tuesday killed 31 people and injured hundreds.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) lost 0.39% and 1.08%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) tumbled 0.98% and 1.28%.
Among peripheral lenders however, Italy’s Unicredit (MI:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) edged up 0.06% and 0.16% respectively, while Banco Santander (MC:SAN) added 0.22% and BBVA (MC:BBVA) dropped 0.94% in Spain.
Elsewhere, Novartis AG (SIX:NOVN) declined 0.69% after the Swiss pharmaceutical company said it agreed to pay $25 million to settle a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission case that claimed the group paid bribes to health professionals in China to increase sales from 2009 to 2013.
In London, FTSE 100 retreated 0.89%, weighed by Next, whose shares dove 9.31% after the retailer said 2016 could be the toughest year it has faced since 2008.
Mining stocks added to losses on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in Bhp Billiton (LON:BLT) lost 2.80% and Glencore (LON:GLEN) tumbled 2.82%, while Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) plummeted 3.30% and rival Anglo American (LON:AAL) sank 6.33%.
Financial stocks were also broadly lower, as Barclays (LON:BARC) slid 0.38% and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) declined 0.78%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) dropped 0.96% and HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) tumbled 1.38%.
On the upside, Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (LON:HIK) jumped 1.82% after Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C). reaffirmed the stock’s “buy” rating.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.23% fall, S&P 500 futures a 0.27% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.30% slide.