(MENAFN- AFP) European main stock markets were mixed Monday as traders focused on the outlook for US stimulus and digested data from the eurozone's biggest economies Germany and France.
Heavyweight miners fell, while shares in Europe's biggest bank HSBC slipped amid a report that it was considering a float of its British arm.
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.18 percent to stand at 6,540.50 points around midday in the British capital.
Frankfurt's DAX 30 index edged up 0.07 percent to 9,178.44 points and in Paris the CAC 40 dropped 0.39 percent to 4,113.37 compared with Friday's closing values.
German industrial production shrank again in October, with economic activity down in all major sectors, official data showed on Monday.
Meanwhile France should post economic growth of 0.5 percent in the last quarter of this year, the Bank of France said, citing a "clear" rise in manufacturing and deliveries in most sectors.
Last Friday, official data showed that the US jobless rate dropped to a five-year low of 7.0 percent in November, from 7.3 percent in October.
The Labor Department added that the world's biggest economy had added a healthy 203,000 jobs last month.
"Last Friday's US jobs report is strong enough to warrant the Fed to announce a tapering of its monthly bond purchases at next week's" monetary policy meeting, said Neil MacKinnon, economist at VTB Capital financial group.
The steady trickle of upbeat data increased the chances that the Federal Reserve would begin to wind down its stimulus programme sooner rather than later.
Fears of a reduction in the Fed's $85 billion a month bond-buying scheme -- which has been credited with fuelling an equities rally in world markets -- pushed down stocks last week.
However, analysts said the US central bank may hold off any taper at its December meeting because the pace of jobs growth is still below the levels seen at the start of the year, while fourth-quarter economic growth is expected to be sluggish.
The OECD meanwhile on Monday said growth is strengthening in most advanced economies, beefing up the argument in favour of pulling back on stimulus.
In foreign exchange on Monday, the euro climbed to $1.3722 from $1.3705 late in New York on Friday. The European single currency fell to 83.75 pence from 83.83 pence, while sterling was higher against the dollar, at $1.6383 from $1.6346.
In India meanwhile, the rupee strengthened against the dollar to 60.84, its strongest level since August after the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, widely seen as business friendly, recorded a string of victories in state elections.
Gold prices dropped to $1,229.41 an ounce on the London Bullion Market from $1,233 on Friday.
Asian stock markets mostly ended higher on Monday and the dollar edged higher against the yen after Wall Street had rallied last Friday in response to a surprisingly sharp fall in the US jobless rate, analysts said.
Japan's shares enjoyed healthy gains despite the Tokyo government's downgrade of third-quarter growth, which has raised questions about the strength of a recovery fuelled by state spending.
Miners drop in London
Shares in mining companies dropped amid weaker imports by China, the world's second biggest economy, traders said.
BHP Billiton shed 1.0 percent to 1,825.50 pence, Antofagasta lost 2.0 percent to 753.5 pence and Rangold slid 1.91 percent to 3,962 pence.
HSBC dropped 0.65 percent to 655 pence, as the Financial Times newspaper reported that the lender was mulling a possible flotation of its British division, citing people familiar with the matter.
HSBC's British arm could float with a total stock market capitalisation of about £20 billion ($33 billion, 23 billion euros), in a move that would help address new regulatory demands for banks to ring-fence their retail banking operations, the daily said.
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