European markets open mixed ahead of more earnings reports; GSK up 6%
This is CNBC's live blog covering European markets.
European markets opened in negative territory on Wednesday, as investors continued to monitor corporate earnings coming out of the region.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered just below the flatline shortly after the opening bell with most sectors trading in negative territory. France's CAC 40 index and Germany's Dax were both around 0.4% lower at 8:09 a.m. London time, while London's FTSE 100 was little changed.
Earnings are set to come from Handelsbanken, TotalEnergies, Akzo Nobel, Credit Agricole, Novo Nordisk, GSK, Vestas Wind and Banco Santander, among others. On the data front, the latest purchasing managers' index data from the euro zone will be confirmed on Wednesday.
Regional bourses were largely flat on Tuesday as investors continued to monitor developments in U.S. trade policy under President Donald Trump, and after the Chinese government announced tariffs on U.S. imports in retaliation against Trump's new levies on Chinese goods.
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed overnight, with all eyes are on China after it resumed trading after the Lunar New Year holidays. Stateside, S&P 500 futures fell Tuesday night after Google-parent Alphabet posted disappointing revenue, following a positive session for the major averages.
Spanish lender Santander posted a 14% year-on-year increase in annual profit on Wednesday, with its full-year profit reaching 12.6 billion euros ($13.1 billion) in 2024. Full-year revenues in constant currency rose 10% from a year earlier to reach 62.2 billion euros.
The bank said it marked the third consecutive year of record financial results, with its performance driven by the addition of 8 million new customers and strong revenue growth across all of