Major stock market indexes in Europe opened lower on Friday after the United Kingdom reported an annual decline in retail sales, while Germany failed to surprise and post a higher quarterly rise in gross domestic product (GDP) than initially projected.
The DAX opened 0.82% or 154 points lower as Brenntag SE plunged by 3.86%. The FTSE 100 decreased by 0.63%, with National Grid PLC sinking by 9.22% at 9:03 am CET. The CAC 40 fell by 0.61% as STMicroelectronics NV declined by 1.34% at 9:02 am CET. The Eurostoxx 50 went down by 0.71%, with Infineon Technologies AG dropping by 1.53% at 9:03 am CET.
The euro and the pound sterling stood flat against the United States dollar at 8:59 am CET to sell for $1.08124 and $1.26931, respectively.
