Key Points: The choppy open expected for European markets marks a divergence from the largely positive trend seen in Asia and the U.S. Bloomberg News reported Sunday that AstraZeneca had approached U.S. rival Gilead Sciences last month regarding a potential merger, which would be the largest pharmaceutical tie-up in history.
European stocks traded slightly lower Monday morning as markets weigh an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing global protests against racism.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 slid 0.4% in early trade, with tech stocks shedding 1.4% to lead losses, while oil and gas stocks bucked the trend to climb 1.5%.
The choppy open for European markets marks a divergence from the largely positive trend seen in Asia and the U.S. Stocks in Asia traded mostly higher in Monday, and U.S. stock futures were slightly higher, after U.S. jobs data released Friday showed an unexpected jump, spurring hopes of an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Global protests against racism remain in focus too. People across the U.S. and around the world gathered in major demonstrations on Sunday against racism and police violence, marking the 13th consecutive day of protests since the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody in Minnesota last month.
In Washington, D.C., tens of thousands gathered at the Lincoln Memorial and near the White House Saturday in what was likely the city's largest demonstration yet.
In other news, a 14-day quarantine comes into force for any travelers arriving in the U.K. Monday. The move comes as most European countries continue to relax restrictions. Aviation and tourism chiefs have said the move will damage their industries and some airlines are considering a legal challenge to the quarantine measures.
Data released Monday showed that German industrial production fell by 17.9% in April from the previous month as coronavirus-induced lockdowns hammered Europe's largest economy. This followed a 8.9% drop seen in March and marked an annual decline of 25.3%.
Bloomberg News reported Sunday that AstraZeneca had approached U.S. rival Gilead Sciences last month regarding a potential merger, which would be the largest pharmaceutical tie-up in history. The British drugmaker's shares slid 2% in early trade.
In terms of individual share price action, German pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment supplier Sartorius saw its shares slide 8.8% to the bottom of the Stoxx 600 in early deals, while British oil and gas company TechnipFMC jumped 8% to lead the European blue chip index.
- CNBC's Emma Newburger contributed to this report.
原文地址：https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/08/european-markets-focus-on-pandemic-and-protests.html