Investing.com - European stocks were lower on Wednesday, as investors became cautious ahead of the European Central Bank's monthly policy statement on Thursday and as markets focused on a fresh batch of corporate earnings reports.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased 0.07%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.18%, while Germany’s DAX 30 dipped 0.03%.
Investors looked ahead to the ECB's policy meeting on Thursday amid speculation that it could flag plans to enlarge its stimulus program.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) declined 0.41% and 0.47%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) fell 0.06% and 0.36%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Unicredit (MI:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) declined 0.25% and 0.31% respectively, while Spanish bank Banco Santander (MC:SAN) slipped 0.20%.
Elsewhere, power grid producer ABB Ltd (VX:ABBN) surged 2.49% even after reporting a 21% decline in third quarter earnings.
In London, FTSE 100 edged down 0.20%, weighed by sharp losses in the mining sector.
Shares in Bhp Billiton (L:BLT) tumbled 1.28% and Anglo American (L:AAL) lost 1.48%, while Rio Tinto (L:RIO) plummeted 1.83% and Glencore (L:GLEN) dove 3.02%.
Financial stocks were also mostly lower, as HSBC Holdings (L:HSBA) fell 0.27% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (L:RBS) dropped 0.40%, while Barclays (L:BARC) declined 0.73%. Lloyds Banking (L:LLOY) overperformed, with shares rising 0.24%.
On the upside, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (L:RB) saw shares rally 1.87% after saying that like-for-like sales increased by 7% in the third quarter.
ARM Holdings PLC (L:ARM) was also one of the top performers on the index, with shares soaring 7.37% after the chipmaker reported a 27% year-on-year climb in third quarter pre-tax profit.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.11% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.17% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.15% rise.