European Stocks Close Lower Ahead Of Key Economic Events

(RTTNews) - European stocks closed lower on Tuesday as concerns about the outlook for global economic growth amid disappointment from the lack of fresh stimulus from China and uncertainty about the timeline for interest rate cuts rendered the mood cautious.

Investors also digested the latest batch of economic data from Europe and U.S., in addition to reacting to earnings updates. Investors are also looking ahead to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony this week, the U.K.'s budget, and the European Central Bank's monetary policy announcement.

The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down 0.23%. Germany's DAX edged down 0.1% and France's CAC 40 settled lower by 0.3%, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 crept up 0.08%. Switzerland's SMI ended down 0.12%.

Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Turkiye closed weak.

Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Russia and Spain ended higher, while Austria closed flat.

In the UK market, Ashtead tanked more than 9% after the company said its full-year group revenues will likely expand at the low end of its guidance.

Antofagasta, RS Group, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Croda International, Prudential, Scottish Mortgage, Rentokil Initial, The Sage Group, Rio Tinto and Barratt Developments lost 1 to 4%.

Intertek rallied 6%. Endeavour Mining, Marks & Spencer, Fresnillo and SSE gained 2 to 5%. Weir Holdings, National Grid, Glencore, BAE Systems, Compass Group and Convatec Group also ended notably higher.

In the German market, Fresenius Medical Care soared 11%. Fresenius gained about 3.5%. RWE ended nearly 3% u. E.ON, Commerzbank, MTU Aero Engines, Hannover Rueck and Qiagen also ended notably higher.

Bayer plunged more than 7%. Siemens Energy, Deutsche Post, HeidelbergCement, Infineon, Siemens and Volkswagen lost 1 to 1.7%.

In Paris, Alstom, Dassault Systemes, Capgemini, Schneider Electric, ArcelorMittal, Hermes International, Saint Gobain, Unibail Rodamco, LVMH, Kering, L'Oreal, Renault and STMicroElectronics lost 1 to 3.4%.

Thales zoomed more than 9%. The defense and technology group said it expects further growth in operating margin and turnover this year.

Engie, Carrefour, Teleperformance, Airbus Group, Edenred, Michelin and Bouygues gained 1 to 2.3%.

On the economic front, preliminary data from the statistical office INSEE showed industrial production in France declined faster than expected in January, led by a slump in manufacturing activity. Overall industrial production decreased 1.1% month-on-month, after rising 0.4% in December. Economists were looking for a modest fall of 0.1%.

The euro area private sector moved closer to stabilization as renewed services activity expansion offset further contraction in manufacturing, final survey results from S&P Global showed.

The HCOB composite output index rose to an eight-month high of 49.2 in February from 47.9 in January. The score was well above the flash 48.9. However, a reading below 50.0 indicates contraction.

The services Purchasing Managers' Index advanced to 50.2 from 48.4 in the previous month. The flash reading was 50.0.

Germany's business activity contracted the most in four months in February due to accelerated reduction in manufacturing output. The composite PMI posted 46.3, down from 47.0 in January. The score was above the initial estimate of 46.1.

The services PMI climbed to 48.3 from 47.7 in the previous month. The flash reading was 48.2.

France's private sector contracted at the slowest pace in nine months in February. The composite PMI rose to 48.1 from 44.6 in January. The flash reading was 47.7. The services PMI posted 48.4, up from 45.4 a month ago and the flash 48.0.

Eurozone producer prices fell 8.6% year-over-year in January, slowed than the revised 10.7% decrease in December, data published by Eurostat showed. Prices were expected to decline by 8.1%.

U.K.'s services Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 53.8 in February, down from 54.3 in January, final data from S&P Global showed. The flash reading also stood at 54.3.

New car sales in the UK rose for the nineteenth consecutive month and logged the best performance for February since 2004, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders, or SMMT, showed. In February, new car registrations grew by 14% to reach 84,886 units, the report said.