BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks turned in a mixed performance on Tuesday with investors reacting to a slew of economic data from across the globe.
After a positive start on the back of upbeat factory data from China and hopes about likely approvals to vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as AstraZeneca, most of the markets turned a bit easy and pared early gains.
Worries about rising new coronavirus cases and possibility of further quarantine restrictions in the U.K. also weighed on stocks.
Technology stocks were in demand on reports Apple is aiming to launch four new iPhone models next month with 5G wireless speeds. The company is reportedly planning to make 75 million 5G iPhones later this year.
The pan European Stoxx 600 declined 0.35%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 tumbled 1.7%, France's CAC 40 edged down 0.18% and Germany's DAX moved up 0.22%. Switzerland's SMI climbed 0.53%.
Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey closed higher.
Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Poland and Spain closed weak, while Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland and Norway ended flat.
In the U.K. market, which ended at near 4-month low, Rolls-Royce Holdings plunged nearly 12% with weak results continuing to hurt the stock. IAG ended more than 7% down and Meggitt closed lower by about 6.5%.
ITV, WPP, Barclays, EasyJet, Schroders, Lloyds Banking Group, Informa, British Land Company, Melrose, Carnival, BAE Systems, HSBC Holdings and vodafone lost 4 to 5.5%.
On the other hand, Fresnillo and Polymetal International gained 5% and 4.5%, respectively. Glencore moved up more than 2%, while Smurfit Kappa Group, Anglo American and Antofagasta gained 1 to 1.3%.
In Germany, Wirecard rebounded after recent sharp losses and ended nearly 16% up. Infineon Technologies, HeidelbergCement and Vonovia gained 1.5 to 1.8%, while Continental, Lufthansa and BASF ended notably lower.
In the French market, Renault slid 4.4%. Publicis Groupe, Veolia, Peugeot, Societe Generale and Essilor lost 2 to 3%.
WorldLine shares moved up more than 3%. Kering gained about 2.1%, while Atos, STMicroElectronics, Airbus and Safran gained 1 to 1.4%.
In economic releases, a private survey showed China's factory activity expanded at the fastest clip in nearly a decade in August.
Closer home, the euro area manufacturing Purchasing Managers' index fell slightly to 51.7 in August from 51.8 in July. The reading matched the flash estimate.
Manufacturing output growth reached its highest level for over two years while new orders increased for the second month but eased slightly on July's near two-and-a-half-year peak.
Eurozone consumer prices fell 0.2% year-on-year in August, reversing a 0.4% rise in July, preliminary data from Eurostat revealed. Prices were expected to climb 0.2%.
The euro area jobless rate rose to 7.9% in July from 7.7% in June. The rate was marginally below the expected level of 8%. The number of people out of work increased by 344,000 from June to 12.793 million in July.
The German unemployment decreased in August as the economy showed signs of recovery from the coronavirus driven downturn, data from the Federal Labor Agency showed Tuesday.
The number of people out of work decreased by 9,000 in August, confounding expectations for an increase of 1,000. The jobless rate held steady at 6.4% in August, in line with expectations.
At the same time, the unadjusted unemployment rate rose to 6.4% from 6.3% in July.
The UK manufacturing sector expanded at the fastest pace in two-and-a-half years in August as companies restarted operations following coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns, final data from IHS Markit showed Tuesday.
The IHS Markit/Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to a 30-month high of 55.2 in August from 53.3 in July. But this was slightly below the flash estimate of 55.3.
Manufacturing output expanded at the fastest rate for over six years in August. New order intakes also strengthened, whereas the trend in employment remained weak with job losses recorded for the seventh straight month.
Business sentiment regarding future output prospects remained positive in August, staying close to July's 28-month high.
UK mortgage approvals rose to a five-month high in July but remained weak in comparison to pre-Covid period, data from the Bank of England showed Tuesday. The number of mortgage approvals rose to 66,281 in July from 39,902 in June. This was the highest since last February.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX