BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were mixed in cautious trade on Wednesday as investors awaited more clarity on Sino-U.S. trade talks and Brexit negotiations.
Markets in Germany and France were subdued after the U.S. said it would ramp up sanctions against North Korea if Pyongyang fails to give up its 'nuclear weapons program and everything associated with it.'
The warning came amid reports that North Korea has started rebuilding part of a missile launch site it began to dismantle after pledging to do so in the first summit with Trump last year.
U.K. markets were moving higher as the pound extended losses for a fifth day amid fears that negotiators are struggling to make a breakthrough in crunch Brexit talks.
The pan European Stoxx 600 was marginally lower at 375.58 in opening deals after rising 0.2 percent in the previous session.
The German DAX was losing 0.2 percent and France's CAC 40 index was declining 0.1 percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.1 percent.
Anheuser-Busch InBev NV was marginally lower as its Chairman Olivier Goudet stepped down amid concerns over conflict of interest.
DS Smith jumped 4 percent after announcing the sale of its plastics division.
Interserve tumbled 4 percent after the infrastructure and regeneration specialist rejected a rescue plan put forward by its biggest shareholder.
Debenhams declined more than 3 percent after issuing another profit warning on Tuesday.
Eurofins Scientific rose 1.2 percent after falling sharply on Tuesday on concerns over its corporate governance.
Brenntag jumped nearly 5 percent. The chemical distributor reported a rise in FY18 profit and said it sees further growth in a challenging environment.
Dialog Semiconductor soared 7 percent. The company reported full year 2018 operating profit of $199.7 million, up 7 percent from prior year.
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