European Stocks Wobble Ahead of GDP Release

European stock markets opened cautiously lower on Wednesday, as investors awaited second-quarter GDP data from the euro zone, which could show the region has emerged from recession.

Data out earlier in the day showed the German economy grew 0.7% in the quarter, while the French expanded by 0.5%, both numbers ahead of expectations.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index XX:SXXP -0.25% slipped 0.1% to 307.44. Among notable movers, shares of Royal Dutch Shell PLC UK:RDSB -0.85% RDS.B +0.50% rose 0.8% after a broker upgrade.

On a more downbeat note, shares of RWE AG DE:RWE -5.83% lost 2.5% after the utility firm reported first-half earnings. Among country-specific indexes,

Germany’s DAX 30 index DX:DAX -0.12% was marginally lower at 8,416.01, while France’s CAC 40 index FR:PX1 +0.00% rose 0.2% to 4,099.99. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index UK:UKX -0.26% was slightly lower at 6,608.92.

Source: Marketwatch