European stocks traded lower on Wednesday morning, as investor kept a close eye on corporate earnings and trade tensions.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was 0.23 percent lower with most sectors in the red. Retail was among the worst-performing sectors in early deals, dragged down by ratings downgrades and disappointing earnings. Ahold Delhaize fell over 3 percent after reporting second-quarter sales below expectations.
Health care stocks were also under particular pressure. H.Lundbeck fell 7 percent after announcing plans to expand to the Chinese market and Novo Nordisk was down 4 percent after posting lower-than-expected second-quarter sales.
Tire maker Nokian Renkaat jumped to the top of the benchmark, after reporting results that beat analysts' forecasts. The Dutch lender ABN AMRO also rose 3 percent after reporting stronger-than-expected profits for the second quarter of the year.
