The European markets are seeking direction down on Tuesday, as investors look for fresh cues that will influence trading. The Asian markets ended lower and the U.S. index point to a weak open.
U.K.'s industrial production declined unexpectedly by 1.2 percent month-on-month in January, reversing a 1.1 percent rise in December, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday. Output was forecast to grow 0.1 percent
The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks is losing 0.05 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, is falling 0.09 percent.
The German DAX is losing marginally. The French CAC 40 and the UK's FTSE 100 are up around 0.1 percent each and Switzerland's SMI is gaining 0.3 percent.
In Frankfurt, Commerzbank is gaining 3.3 percent. Airline Lufthansa is adding around 1 percent.
Fuchs Petrolub is rising 2.7 percent. Cheuvreux raised the stock to ''Outperform'' from ''Underperform.''
RWE is dropping 1.6 percent. Goldman Sachs cut European utilities to ''Neutral'' from ''Attractive.''
Merck is moderately lower. S&P Equity reduced its rating on the stock.
Fraport is losing 2.7 percent. The owner and operator of Frankfurt Airport said its result in 2013 are expected to be lower than the previous year, due to continuing rise in depreciation and financing costs.
In Frankfurt, Safran is losing 1.4 percent and Sanofi is falling 1.1 percent.
Accor is gaining 1.6 percent. UBS raised the stock to ''Buy'' from ''Neutral.''
In London, British Land is declining 3.7 percent and Aggreko is falling 1.8 percent.
Fresnillo, which reported lower pre-tax profit for the year, is dropping 3.6 percent.
St. James's Place is losing 2.1 percent. Lloyds Banking reduced its stake in the firm.
Antofagasta is climbing 4.6 percent. The miner reported a decline in 2012 profit, reflecting higher operating costs, but copper production was ahead of its original forecast of about 700 thousand tonnes.
International Consolidated Airlines and is up 3.4 percent.
InterContinental Hotels was raised to ''Neutral'' from ''Sell'' at UBS. The stock is advancing 2.4 percent.
Whitbread is up 1.3 percent. UBS upgraded the stock.
Ladbrokes is gaining 1.7 percent. JPMorgan raised the stock to ''Neutral'' from ''Underweight.''
SBM Offshore is surging 20 percent in Amsterdam. SBM and Talisman Energy Norge AS have decided to terminate the YME MOPUstor project. Following an extended period of operational and execution delays, this decision was taken to remove the Mobile Offshore Production Unit.
Across Asia/Pacific, markets fell, led by China where Shanghai Composite Index lost 1 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 0.9 percent, Australia's All Ordinaries fell 0.6 percent and Japan's Nikkei 225 slid 0.3 percent.
In the U.S., futures point to a lower open on Wall Street. In the previous session, stocks posted modest gains, extending a recent upward move, despite a lack of obvious positive catalysts. The Dow rose 0.4 percent to set another record closing high, while the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.3 percent each.
In the commodity space, crude for April delivery is losing $0.17 to $91.89 per barrel and April gold is adding $4.9 to $1582.9 a troy ounce.
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Market Analysis
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.