VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - French shares fell slightly in early trade Friday as German factory orders and retail sales data disappointed investors and caution set in ahead of the all-important U.S. jobs data due tonight.
Closer home, the country's trade deficit narrowed to a three-month low in November as export growth outpaced import growth, data from the customs office showed.
The trade deficit declined more-than-expected to 4.37 billion euros from 5.15 billion euros in October. This was the lowest since August. The current account gap also narrowed to 2.3 billion euros in November from 3.2 billion euros in October.
The benchmark CAC 40 was down 18 points or 0.36 percent at 4,883 in opening deals after closing largely unchanged in the previous session.
Sanofi shares fell over 2 percent after a U.S. federal judge ruled against the French drug maker and partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in a patent infringement case covering a cholesterol drug.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX