European Stocks Narrowly Mixed As EU Seeks Virus Deal

Europe's main stock markets traded narrowly mixed on Friday, with all eyes on an EU summit to agree a post-virus economic rescue plan.

Around midday in London, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 0.5 percent.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index grew 0.3 percent and the Paris CAC 40 fell 0.2 percent.

The euro was up against the dollar, which faltered across the board Friday amid the prospect of further US stimulus.

"European stocks were choppy and likely set for a volatile finish to the week as EU leaders gather in Brussels for a key summit, with market participants squarely focused on whether the EU can agree to a broad recovery fund," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com.

The European Union was facing a "moment of truth", France's President Emmanuel Macron declared Friday.

EU leaders were holding their first face-to-face summit in five months, but the gathering seems unlikely to bridge their divide over a huge stimulus package.

A determined band of northern members, led by the Netherlands, are holding out against doling out cash to their southern neighbours without strict conditions attached.

ECB chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday leaned on EU governments, who have in the past left much of the heavy lifting to the central bank, to do more to kickstart their economies suffering from the pandemic.

Leaders were meanwhile wrangling over a proposed 750-billion-euro ($847-billion) recovery fund.

Elsewhere Friday, Asian stock markets closed mixed following sell-offs the previous session, as disappointing recent data jolted optimism over the economic recovery that has helped drive gains for the past few months.

Traders have for weeks been able to look past fresh spikes in coronavirus infections around the globe to focus on the trillions of dollars spent on government support and the easing of lockdowns.

But with containment measures being reintroduced in parts of the world that had appeared in control of the outbreak -- including Hong Kong, Japan and Australia -- confidence has taken a hit.

Data out of China on Thursday showed that while the economy grew more than expected, the crucial reading on retail sales was below forecasts, indicating consumers -- key to reigniting growth -- were still reluctant to go out and spend.

A later report showed US retail sales continued to rise in June, but at a slower pace than May.

And new weekly claims for US unemployment benefits were little changed at 1.3 million, a historically high level.

Economists fear the figure might rise again as major states including California and Texas impose fresh lockdown measures.

"Data released over the last 24 hours seriously questions the speed of any post-COVID-19 economic recovery," said Michael McCarthy, at CMC Markets. "The numbers illustrate the economic challenges posed by secondary infection outbreaks."

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 6,281.24 points

Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 0.3 percent at 12,916.60

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 5,073.27

EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.1 percent at 3,367.06

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 22,696.42 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.5 percent at 25,089.17 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,214.13 (close)

New York - Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 26,734.71 (close)

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $40.48 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.7 percent at $43.08 per barrel

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1428 from $1.1382 at 2100 GMT

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 107.11 yen from 107.29 yen

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2555 from $1.2551