European stock indices open lower, failing to keep up with the global equity rally

In Paris, the French CAC 40 index was flat as gains among car manufacturers offset a decline in aerospace group Airbus, which fell 2.1%. This cross-listed stock also dragged down Germany's DAX index, which dropped 0.2%. Commerzbank also weighed on the index, declining 3.2%. Software and consumer-oriented companies dragged down London's FTSE 100 index. The index fell 0.45%, with Sage down 3.6% and hotel company Whitbread down 3.2%. As basic materials stocks slipped, Spain’s IBEX 35 index dropped 0.25%, while Italy’s FTSE MIB index inched up 0.1%. In Amsterdam, the semiconductor-heavy Dutch AEX index fell 0.4%. After the market reacted tepidly to Nvidia’s overnight earnings, ASML, Europe’s largest company by market capitalization, dropped 1%.