BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were little changed in lackluster trade Friday as investors remained worried about the spread of coronavirus in the U.S. and fresh outbreaks elsewhere in the world.
The United States again saw its sixth daily record for coronavirus cases in 10 days, with the surge driven largely by states in the South and the West that were among the first to ease restrictions established during the virus's initial wave in the spring. At least six states set single-day case records on Thursday.
Elsewhere, Hong Kong is closing its schools again due to a spike in locally transmitted coronavirus cases. Australia said it would halve the number of citizens who can return home at any one time to relieve pressure on its quarantine system.
The benchmark CAC 40 was down 8 points at 4,912 after losing 1.2 percent in the previous session.
In economic releases, France's industrial production rebounded at a faster than expected pace in May as coronavirus containment measures were relaxed, data from the statistical office Insee showed.
Industrial output grew 19.6 percent on a monthly basis, reversing a 20.6 percent fall in April. This was the first rise in three months. Production was forecast to climb 15.1 percent in May.
At the same time, manufacturing output advanced 22 percent, in contrast to a 22.3 percent fall in the previous month.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX