Major stock market indexes in Europe opened lower on Friday after the results the United Kingdom posted in gross domestic product (GDP), trade balance, and retail sales failed to impress investors. Germany's numbers in consumer confidence and France's in inflation did not make much of an upward impact. Traders then turned their attention to other data coming in later in the day, including that on Germany's unemployment rate and the Eurozone's consumer confidence.
The DAX decreased by 0.55% as Continental AG sank by 1.75% at 9:02 am CET. The FTSE 100 declined by 0.35%, with Next PLC sliding by 1.45%. The CAC 40 dropped by 0.51% as Edenred SA plunged by 4.63% at 9:01 am CET. The Euro Stoxx 50 went down by 0.50%, with Unicredit S.p.A. falling by 1.52% at 9:02 am CET.
The euro lost 0.13% to the United States dollar at 8:59 am CET to sell for $1.07881. A minute later, the pound sterling stood flat against the greenback to go for $1.29521.
