Investing.com - European stocks were mixed on Friday, as the announcement of fresh European and U.S. sanctions against Russia continued to weigh and as markets awaited the outcome of the upcoming referendum on Scottish independance.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 added 0.09%, France’s CAC 40 fell 0.13%, while Germany’s DAX slid 0.25%.
European equities came under pressure on Thursday after the U.S. on Thursday said it will join the European Union in stiffening sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.
In response, Russia said it may ban some U.S. and European imports including clothing and used cars.
Meanhile, a new opinion poll on Scottish independence on Wednesday showed that support for the no campaign was back in the lead with 53% of voters.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) gained 0.48% and 0.10%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) added 0.17%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) edged up 0.04% and 0.17% respectively, while Spanish bank Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) climbed 0.49%.
Santander made headlines this week after the death of Chairman Emilio Botin and his succession by Ana Patricia Botin, his daughter.
Elsewhere, Air France-KLM (PARIS:AIRF) tumbled 1.09% after saying on Thursday that it plans to increase earnings by as much as 10% a year between 2013 and 2017.
In London, FTSE 100 added 0.14%, supported by gains in the financial sector.
Shares in Barclays (LONDON:BARC) edged up 0.17% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) rose 0.28%, while Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) gained 0.59% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) jumped 1.03%.
Morrison Supermarkets (LONDON:MRW) continied to lead gains on the index for the second consecutive session, with shares rallying 1.35% after the supermarket chain reported a 51% fall in underlying half year profits.
At the same time, Britain's largest online-only grocer Ocado Group (LONDON:OCDO), down 2.59%, said retail gross sales increased by 15.5% in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed as Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) slipped 0.29% and Vedanta Resources (LONDON:VED) shed 0.28%, while rivals Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) and Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) advanced 0.59% and 0.62% respectively.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.06% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.05% dip, while the NASDAQ 100 futures indicated a 0.04% downtick.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on retail sales, as well as closely watched preliminary data on consumer sentiment.