Europe open: Shares lower as traders eye Jackson Hole meeting

European shares were lower at the open on Thursday as attention turned to the US Jackson Hole symposium of central bankers later in the day.

Source: Sharecast

The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was down 0.08% to 558 at 0819 BST. Germany’s DAX was 0.05% lower and France’s CAC 40 declined by 0.2%. Britain’s FTSE 100 broke the trend and gained 0.07%.

Traders will be eyeing Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell's speech on Friday, his last at the annual gathering as chairman of the US central bank, as they look for any indication of whether rates will be cut in September.

In economic news, UK government borrowing was lower than expected in July, according to data released on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics.

Borrowing came in at £1.1bn, down £2.3bn on July 2024 and marking the lowest July figure for three years following tax rises in April. Analysts were expecting £2.6bn and the Office for Budget Responsibility had forecast £2.1bn.

Borrowing in the financial year to July rose £6.7bn to £60bn. This was the third-highest April to July borrowing since monthly records began, after those of 2020 and 2021.

Investors were also awaiting eurozone survey data later in the morning.

There was little corporate news to drive sentiment. Defence stocks rallied after two days of losses in response to hopes of peace in Ukraine.

CTS Eventim slumped after first-half results, while Dutch insurer Aegon jumped as it doubled the planned value of its ongoing share buyback programme to €400m.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com

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