Investing.com - European stocks opened lower on Thursday, after the release of downbeat German data dampened optimism over the strength of the euro zone's biggest economy as expectations for a December rate hike in the U.S. weighed.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.28%, France’s CAC 40 edged down 0.11%, while Germany’s DAX 30 slid 0.32%.
European equities weakened after Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on Wednesday that a December rate hike is a "live possibility," depending on the data.
Earlier Thursday, official data showed that German factory orders dropped 1.7% in September, confounding expectations for an increase of 1.0%, after a 1.8% decline the previous month.
Financial stocks were mixed to lower, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) were up 0.09% and 4.49%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) slid 0.44% and 0.37%.
Societe Generale reported a 27% increase in third-quarter group net profit to €1.126 billion on Thursday.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) fell 0.33% and 0.65% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) retreated 0.45% and 0.51%.
Elsewhere, Volkswagen (DE:VOWG) remained in the spotlight after the carmaker's credit rating was downgraded by Moody's on Wednesday. Shares were still up 0.35% in early European trade.
Germany is to retest all Volkswagen car models to gauge their genuine emissions levels after the carmaker said this week that it found faulty emissions readings for the first time in gasoline-powered vehicles.
On the downside, Adecco (VX:ADEN) saw shares dive 9.22% after reporting a third-quarter net loss of €513 million, confounding expectations for a €223 million profit.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 dropped 0.57%, weighed by losses in the mining sector and as markets eyed the Bank of England's interest rate decision due later in the day.
Shares in Bhp Billiton (L:BLT) and Rio Tinto (L:RIO) tumbled 1.45% and 1.62% respectively, while Randgold Resources (L:RRS) plummeted 3.06% and Anglo American (L:AAL) dove 3.37%.
Financial stocks added to losses, as Lloyds (L:LLOY) Bamking slipped 0.11% and Barclays (L:BARC) declined 0.71%, while HSBC Holdings (L:HSBA) dropped 0.81% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (L:RBS) lost 0.97%.
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca PLC (L:AZN) was one of the top performers on the index, with shares surging 3.05% after the drugmaker and Cephalon, a unit of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (N:TEVA) Ltd , reached an agreement on Wednesday over civil charges they overbilled U.S. Medicaid programs.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.01% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.02% downtick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.06% loss.