European stocks took a dip today, as investors grew concerned about signs of a global economic slowdown, particularly in China. The release of crucial regional services activity data added to the unease among market participants.
As of 03:20 ET (07:20 GMT), Germany’s DAX index was down by 0.4%, France’s CAC 40 fell by 0.4%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 traded 0.3% lower.
During the European trading hours, investors were closely watching the eurozone’s final services and composite PMIs for June. The expectation was that these figures would confirm a slowdown in the region’s consumption-driven economic recovery.
The worries intensified following the release of disappointing manufacturing activity data, which revealed that factory activity in the four largest economies of the region contracted last month.
However, there was a glimmer of positivity earlier today, as French industrial production showed significant improvement, rising by 1.2% in May, surpassing the expected decline of 0.2%.
Adding to the negative sentiment, the Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers’ index, a private survey, indicated that China’s services activity experienced its slowest expansion in five months in June. The reading dropped to 53.9 from May’s 57.1, marking the lowest level since January.
With the manufacturing sector also underperforming, these figures suggest a weakening growth trajectory for the world’s second-largest economy and a crucial export market for Europe’s major companies. Japan faced a similar situation, with the final services purchasing managers’ index dropping to 54.0 in June from a record-high of 55.9 in May.
Investors are also concerned about the possibility of an escalation in the trade conflict between China and the United States. China’s recent move to block the export of vital chipmaking materials to the U.S. has raised fears of further tensions between the two largest economies globally.
Market participants are keeping a close eye on the May producer prices for the eurozone, expecting signs of easing inflationary pressures at the factory gate. Additionally, the release of the Federal Reserve’s June meeting minutes will be closely watched for any clues regarding the central bank’s outlook. At that meeting, the Fed decided to pause tightening while signaling two more rate hikes in the future.
On another note, oil prices experienced a retreat today due to renewed concerns about a global economic slowdown. These worries overshadowed the earlier news of supply cuts from several leading producers. Investors will eagerly await the Fed minutes for additional insights into the central bank’s perspective, as well as industry data on U.S. crude and product inventories from the American Petroleum Institute, which will be released a day later than usual.
As of 03:20 ET, the Brent contract declined by 0.4% to $75.92, while U.S. crude futures traded 1.7% higher at $71.00 per barrel. It’s worth noting that U.S. trading continued despite the Independence Day holiday.
Furthermore, gold futures saw a slight drop of 0.1% to $1,932.95 per ounce, and the EUR/USD currency pair traded slightly higher at 1.0881.
The market climate is uncertain and investors remain cautious as they navigate through these turbulent times.
