Investing.com - European stocks were steady on Monday, after the release of positive Spanish jobs data and after Friday's upbeat economic reports from the euro zone, while investors remained cautious ahead of a meeting between Spanish and German leaders later in the day.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 dipped 0.02%, France’s CAC 40 eased 0.01%, while Germany’s DAX 30 inched 0.01% higher.
In a report, Spain's Employment Ministry said that the number of unemployed people rose less-than-expected in January, increasing by 132,100 after a 59,100 rise the previous month.
Analysts had expected the number of unemployed people to rise by 150,000 last month.
Meanwhile, sentiment remained supported after data on Friday showed that manufacturing activity in the euro zone improved in January, while inflation and unemployment stabilized, underlining the view that the crisis in the region had turned a corner.
In addition, the euro zone manufacturing purchasing managers’ index improved to 47.9 from 46.1 in December, still below the 50 mark that separates contraction from expansion but the slowest rate of decline in 11 months.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as shares in German lenders Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank declined 0.39% and 0.32%, while France's BNP Paribas dipped 0.04%. Societe Generale overperformed on the other hand, with shares adding 0.12%.
Peripheral lenders added to losses, with Italian banks Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit plummeting 1.92% and 3.11%, while Spain's Banco Santander and BBVA retreated 0.33% and 0.41% respectively.
On the upside, Swatch rallied 2.89% after reporting a 26% increase in 2012 net income to CHF1.6 billion, as the company said it produced more watches and took advantage of expanded production capacity at its factories.
In London, commodtiy-heavy FTSE 100 slipped 0.17%, weighed by losses in mining stocks.
Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton declined 0.30% and 0.43%, while Glencore and Antofagasta tumbled 1.24% and 1.64%.
Financial stocks were also mostly lower. Lloyds Banking eased 0.01% and HSBC Holdings slipped 0.10%, while Barclays fell 0.19% after saying that Finance Director Chris Lucas and General Counsel Mark Harding will retire.
However, the Royal Bank of Scotland saw shares advance 0.12%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.06% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.03% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.01% loss.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release official data on factory orders.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 dipped 0.02%, France’s CAC 40 eased 0.01%, while Germany’s DAX 30 inched 0.01% higher.
In a report, Spain's Employment Ministry said that the number of unemployed people rose less-than-expected in January, increasing by 132,100 after a 59,100 rise the previous month.
Analysts had expected the number of unemployed people to rise by 150,000 last month.
Meanwhile, sentiment remained supported after data on Friday showed that manufacturing activity in the euro zone improved in January, while inflation and unemployment stabilized, underlining the view that the crisis in the region had turned a corner.
In addition, the euro zone manufacturing purchasing managers’ index improved to 47.9 from 46.1 in December, still below the 50 mark that separates contraction from expansion but the slowest rate of decline in 11 months.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as shares in German lenders Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank declined 0.39% and 0.32%, while France's BNP Paribas dipped 0.04%. Societe Generale overperformed on the other hand, with shares adding 0.12%.
Peripheral lenders added to losses, with Italian banks Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit plummeting 1.92% and 3.11%, while Spain's Banco Santander and BBVA retreated 0.33% and 0.41% respectively.
On the upside, Swatch rallied 2.89% after reporting a 26% increase in 2012 net income to CHF1.6 billion, as the company said it produced more watches and took advantage of expanded production capacity at its factories.
In London, commodtiy-heavy FTSE 100 slipped 0.17%, weighed by losses in mining stocks.
Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton declined 0.30% and 0.43%, while Glencore and Antofagasta tumbled 1.24% and 1.64%.
Financial stocks were also mostly lower. Lloyds Banking eased 0.01% and HSBC Holdings slipped 0.10%, while Barclays fell 0.19% after saying that Finance Director Chris Lucas and General Counsel Mark Harding will retire.
However, the Royal Bank of Scotland saw shares advance 0.12%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.06% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.03% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.01% loss.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release official data on factory orders.