(MENAFN- FxPro) European stocks slipped lower on Tuesday, after the release of positive Spanish data as concerns over a possible Greek default persisted and as investors still awaited additional economic reports from the euro zone.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased 0.02%, France's CAC 40 inched 0.02% lower, while Germany's DAX 30 slid 0.34%.
Official data earlier showed that the number of unemployed people in Spain declined by 118,000 last month, compared to expectations for 115,500 fall, after a drop of 118,900 in April.
Elsewhere, Greece's creditors said late Monday that there must be "intensive work" in the coming days to reach an agreement on economic reforms needed to unlock further financial aid.
Greece is due to make a ‚¬305 million payment to the International Monetary Fund on Friday but warned last month that it will be unable to make the repayment if a cash-for-reforms deal is not reached by then.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) slid 0.38% and 0.47%, while Germany's Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) lost 0.02% and 0.52%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish bank BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) slipped 0.12%. Italy's Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) overperformed however, with shares rising 0.04% and 0.70% respectively.
Elsewhere, Aryzta AG (SIX:ARYN) plunged 4.84% after the Swiss food business posted revenue that missed analysts' estimates.
In London, FTSE 100 edged down 0.10%, weighed by British American Tobacco (LONDON:BATS), whose shares tumbled 1.77% after it was ordered by a Canadian court to pay C$10.5 billion to nearly 1 million smokers who claimed they were never warned about the health risks.
Financial stocks were also mostly lower, as HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) slipped 0.13% and Barclays (LONDON:BARC) fell 0.23%, while Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) declined 0.31%. The Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) overperformed on the other hand, rising 0.21%.
On the upside, mining giants Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) gained 0.15% and 0.82%, while rivals Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) and Antofagasta (LONDON:ANTO) advanced 0.82% and 1.55% respectively.
Wolseley Plc (LONDON:WOS) added to gains and surged 2.34% after the building materials company reported an increase in quarterly same-store sales.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.04% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.01% dip, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.03% downtick.
Later in the day, the euro zone was to release preliminary data on consumer prices, while Germany was to publish its latest employment report. The U.S. was to report on factory orders.
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