Europe Markets: European stocks claw back gains with Big Tech earnings, COVID-19 and election worries in focus

In choppy trading, the Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, +0.12% inched up 0.1% after closing with a modest loss on Thursday. The index has dropped 5.7% in four sessions, which is the worst such performance since June. The German DAX DAX, -0.18% was down 0.1% and the French CAC 40 PX1, +0.34% rose 0.4%. The FTSE 100 index UKX, -0.15% was down 0.1%.

“Markets will remain vulnerable to more bad news on the COVID-19 front from the U.S. and Europe, while the nuances of the U.S. election will leave equities to follow other asset classes into the hunkering-down mode,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda, in a note to clients.

Major U.S. indexes broke a four-session rout on Thursday, after third-quarter preliminary gross domestic product data indicated a rebound of activity following the pandemic-fueled recession. But Friday’s action hinted of a tough session, with Dow futures YM00, -0.79% down over 100 points, and Nasdaq-100 futures NQ00, -1.06% slid 1.6%, reflecting nervousness over the tech results.

Reporting en masse late on Thursday, Apple, Amazon, Facebook FB, +4.91%, and Google parent Alphabet GOOGL, +3.05% all produced record sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, shares of Apple AAPL, +3.70% fell as iPhone sales fell short, notably in China, and the company declined to give a financial forecast amid the pandemic. And shares of e-commerce giant Amazon AMZN, +1.52% also slipped modestly after a projection for fourth-quarter operating profit of $1 billion to $4.5 billion undershot analysts’ average expectation of $5.81 billion.

Clouds continue to hang over investors as coronavirus cases climb on both sides of the Atlantic, and U.S. politicians have been unable to reach a stimulus deal ahead of the presidential election, now just four days away.

Some observers were disappointed that the European Central Bank didn’t bring forward stimulus at its meeting on Thursday, despite fresh concerns over the region’s economies. Those fears have been exacerbated by one-month lockdowns announced this week by the French and German governments.

The central bank did hint that it may announce more stimulus in December. Data showed the eurozone economy grew at a record pace in the third quarter, but has already stalled amid tough new restrictions, leaving Europe well behind the U.S. and Asia in its recovery from the crisis.

Data released on Friday showed rebounding growth in the third quarter for France, but the government downwardly revised its GDP forecast for 2020, trying to account for an impact from new coronavirus-related restrictions.

Among Europe’s stocks on the move, technology companies were under pressure following those U.S. results, with business software group SAP SAP, +0.48% SAP, -0.30% down 1.6%. The German tech heavyweight kicked off a shaky week for technology stocks on Monday with a warning, and has lost 30% of its value this week as a result.

Elsewhere, shares of chip-equipment maker ASML Holding ASML, +2.20% ASML, -1.00%, another Stoxx heavyweight, fell 2% and Dialog Semiconductor DLG, -1.05% shares fell 2.7%.

Shares of Air France-KLM AF, -2.26% tumbled 4% after the airline swung to a heavy net loss in its third quarter, as it cut its capacity views and warned that it would see significantly lower earnings for the last three months of the year. Deutsche Lufthansa LHA, +0.71% shares fell 2%.

European stocks were getting some support from some stability for oil prices CL00, -0.33% BRN00, -0.49%. That is as Total FP, +2.78% TOT, +2.02% reported a profit fall in the third quarter, but the French energy giant said it benefited from a more favorable environment, and would maintain its interim dividend.

Shares of oil major Royal Dutch Shell RDS.A, +6.62% RDSA, +2.95% rose over 1%.

Prosus PRX, +4.11% shares rose 2.5%, after the Dutch technology investor said it would buy $5 billion of its own shares and of its South African parent Naspers NPN, +4.19%.