Mixed Showing in Europe as Continental Markets Outperform UK

Core markets in Europe are broadly steady/slightly higher with France's CAC-40 up around 0.3% while the UK's FTSE-100 lags, edging lower by 0.8%. Newsflow and datapoints have been few and far between early Friday, leaving markets to consolidate, although UK equities lag given the continued dragging-of-heels by Brexit negotiators on both sides, as talks continue to see little progress.

In Europe, real estate and consumer discretionary sectors are offered, with energy and tech names at the top of the table.

Spanish banks trade heavy, with Banco de Sabadell off around 13% after merger talks with BBVA concluded with no resolution on price disagreements. At the other end of the scale, EdF outperform on reports that France and the EU have made progress in nuclear regulation talks, which could allow the company to unlock their nuclear unit to be nationalized.