European stocks hit session lows, extending negative sentiment; tech firms climb

LONDON — European stocks fell on Wednesday, extending negative sentiment seen in the previous trading session.

Major European bourses were mixed, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 0.12% lower at 11:40 a.m. London time after having risen earlier in the day.

Auto and travel and leisure stocks fell 1.15% and 0.95% respectively, while tech climbed 0.8%

This follows rocky trade in the region and elsewhere globally, after a tech-driven selloff. Volatility in the sector appeared to stabilize after chipmaking giant Nvidia rallied Tuesday.

On the data front, figures released by market research company GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions on Wednesday showed that German consumer sentiment is expected to dip in July after four straight months of improving.

Elsewhere, data from France's national statistics office showed that consumer confidence fell slightly to 89 in June.

U.S. stock futures hovered near the flatline Tuesday evening after the S&P 500 rebounded from the rough start to the week, while Asia-Pacific markets were mixed overnight as Australia's inflation rate climbed for a third straight month, while semiconductor and related stocks jumped.

Wall Street is likely to shift its attention toward fresh U.S. inflation data on Friday with the release of May's personal consumption expenditures price index, the U.S. Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge.