Major European stock markets kicked off the second to last session of the year in negative territory, pulled by worsening sentiment from China that saw a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak following the decision to ease lockdown rules.
Meanwhile, investors continued to be concerned about the record inflation across the continent followed by monetary policy tightening and hints of a coming recession in 2023. At 8:49 am CET, the euro and the pound both stood slightly higher against the dollar to sell for 1.06175 and 1.20231, respectively.
Frankfurt's DAX lost 0.26% at the opening bell, while London's FTSE 100 declined 0.50%, and the CAC 40 fell 0.42% in Paris. The European Stoxx 50 index slid 0.32% at the same time. The Spanish IBEX 35 decreased by 0.61% as the country saw November retail sales turning to decline in the latest report.
