BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were flat to slightly lower on Wednesday after sharp gains in the previous session.
As the pace of new coronavirus infections slows, investors shifted their focus to a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting ending later today and a European Central Bank (ECB) meeting on Thursday for direction.
The benchmark CAC 40 was down 6 points at 4,563 after gaining 1.4 percent in the previous session.
Banks were broadly higher. BNP Paribas advanced 1.6 percent, Credit Agricole jumped about 4 percent and Societe Generale added 2 percent.
Plane maker Airbus rose half a percent. After reporting a consolidated net loss of 481 million euros for the first quarter, the company said the assessment of Covid-19 implications on outlook is in progress.
Oil & gas company Total SA rallied 2.3 percent as oil prices rebounded on the back of lower-than-expected rise in U.S. stockpiles.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX