Investing.com - European stocks were mostly lower on Tuesday, after the release of upbeat Spanish unemployment data, as investors remained cautious amid ongoing Greek debt negotiations.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.25%, France’s CAC 40 edged 0.11% lower, while Germany’s DAX 30 slid 0.34%.
Earlier Tuesday, official data showed that the number of unemployed people in Spain declined by 118,900 in April, compared to expectations for a 64,800 fall, after a drop of 60,200 the previous month.
European equity markets had found some support on Monday, as Greece and its creditors were said to be targeting a technical agreement in May, with a successful conclusion of the next round of talks by Wednesday.
Financial stocks were mixed, as Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) gained 0.64% and BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) dipped 0.02% in France, while Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) eased 0.04% and Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) fell 0.28% in Germany.
Among peripheral lenders, Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) edged up 0.10% and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) slid 0.38% in Italy, while Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) lost 0.09% and 0.44% respectively.
Elsewhere, Adidas (XETRA:ADSGN) rallied 1.84% after the sportwear retailer reported first-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations.
Infineon Technologies AG (XETRA:IFXGn) added to gains, with shares surging 4.64% after Germany’s largest chipmaker reported better-than-expected quarterly sales.
In London, FTSE 100 advanced 0.42%, led by TUI AG, whose shares were up 2.83% after the stock's "overweight" rating was reaffirmed late last week by Barclays (LONDON:BARC).
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mixed. Shares in Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) rose 0.34% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) climbed 0.88%, while Barclays slipped 0.13% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) tumbled 1.01%.
In the mining sector, stocks were broadly lower. Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) lost 1.07% and Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) tumbled 1.09%, while rival Anglo American (LONDON:AAL) plummeted 1.17%.
Fresnillo (LONDON:FRES) overperformed however, with shares jumping 2.53% after saying that silver production was increased by 21.2% in the first quarter, while gold production went up by 62.3%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.13% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.15% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.21% decline.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on construction sector activity and the trade balance, while the Institute of Supply Management was to release a report on U.S. service sector activity.