European markets ended lower on Friday, with investors weighing a decline in euro zone inflation and a busy week of corporate results. The Stoxx 600 fell 0.5%, as most major bourses retreated — Germany’s DAX dropped 0.8%, France’s CAC 40 lost 0.4%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%.
Inflation across the euro zone is expected to ease to 2.1% in October from 2.2% a month earlier, according to Eurostat’s flash estimate. The services sector saw the highest price growth at 3.4%, while energy prices fell 1%. The bloc’s economy expanded 0.2% in the third quarter, slightly above expectations.
The European Central Bank kept its key deposit rate at 2% for the third consecutive time after its June rate cut.
In the U.S., Amazon and Apple reported strong earnings — Amazon’s cloud revenue rose 20%, lifting shares 13%, while Apple’s stock gained 3%.
Meanwhile, global markets watched the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping, which resulted in a one-year deal on rare earths and critical minerals and a tariff reduction on fentanyl-related goods.Elsewhere, oil prices edged up 0.3%, while gold fell below $4,000 an ounce after the Federal Reserve’s rate cut.