Major European stock markets opened mostly lower on Friday after the United Kingdom reported its trade deficit reached £10 billion, and Germany's report showed its annual inflation stood at 1.6%. Investors also digested the newest reports on the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) and industrial production, which showed increases of 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively.
The DAX dropped by 0.8% at the open, with Bayer AG slipping by 1.76%, while the FTSE 100 and the Euro Stoxx 50 were flat. At the same time, the CAC 40 decreased by 0.18% at the opening bell, as Teleperformance SE tumbled by 2.15%.
The euro was flat against the dollar, selling for $1.09387 at 8:58 am CET. Meanwhile, the pound was slightly down by 0.6% and sold for $1.30514 at 8:59 am CET.
