European markets were slightly lower as trading began Friday after a rocky start to 2025 for stocks around the world.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was down 0.08% shortly after markets opened, with most sectors in negative territory. Mining stocks led losses, down 0.86%, while financial services stocks added 0.54%.
France’s CAC 40 was last 0.45% lower, while Germany’s DAX pulled back by 0.15%. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 was trading around the flatline.
The Stoxx 600 had closed higher on Thursday after a volatile first trading session of the year.
Investors weighed regional and global political uncertainty that could affect markets and the economy, including political instability in France, upcoming elections in Germany and potential tariffs under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
U.S. futures were little changed Friday, after another choppy start to 2025. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite all ended the day lower; for the latter two, that marked the fifth consecutive session of declines, their longest losing streaks since April.
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed overnight, with Chinese stocks extending declines as investors assessed policy signals from Beijing, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index and South Korean markets were both in positive territory.
On the data front, Turkey’s consumer price index fell to 44.38% on an annual basis in December, down from 47.09% in November. Economists had expected inflation to fall to 45.2%, according to a Reuters poll.
Investors are also watching out for the latest inflation figures from Poland, as well as unemployment reports out of Germany and Spain and mortgage data from the U.K.
