European stocks drop as global IT outage causes chaos

European shares fell on Friday as uncertainty across major economies added to headwinds for investors even as the rate easing cycle gets under way, while a global outage hit services from airlines, banks and financial services.

It has been a turbulent week in markets, with a tech sell-off sparked by deepening Sino-US trade tensions, uncertainty over US President Joe Biden's fate in the presidential race, disappointing Chinese economic data and a lacklustre third plenum outcome casting a shadow over the global mood.

In the foreign exchange market, Tokyo's recent bouts of intervention also kept traders on edge.

"We could just be getting a taste of things to come. And that is more turbulence," said Matt Simpson, senior market analyst at City Index.

On Friday, major US airlines ground flights citing communications issues, while other carriers, banks and media companies around the world reported system outages were disrupting their operations.

LSEG Group's (LSEG.L), opens new tab Workspace news and data platform suffered an outage that affected user access worldwide, causing disruption across financial markets.

European stocks (.STOXX), opens new tab fell 0.6%, while London stocks (.FTSE), opens new tab fell 0.7% in early trading.

In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab slid 1.6% and was headed for its worst week in three months with a nearly 3% loss.

S&P 500 futures tacked on 0.16%, while Nasdaq futures gained 0.3%.

Technology stocks continued to struggle in Asia, with South Korea's tech-heavy KOSPI index (.KS11), opens new tab and Taiwan stocks (.TWII), opens new tab both falling 1% and 2%, respectively.

In China, investors were left disappointed over the lack of details provided on the implementation steps for achieving economic policy goals at the conclusion of its closely watched plenum on Thursday.

Chinese officials on Friday acknowledged that the sweeping list of economic goals contained "many complex contradictions", pointing to a bumpy road ahead for policy implementation.

Chinese blue-chips (.CSI300), opens new tab were last up 0.55, though the CSI300 Real Estate index (.CSI000952), opens new tab slid about 2%, as an anaemic property sector continued to weigh on China's growth outlook.

"Apart from very broad-brush platitudes devoid of stimulus, economic policy references of quality over quantity may also imply willingness to stomach slower overall growth," said Vishnu Varathan, chief economist for Asia ex-Japan at Mizuho Bank.

Rates view

The euro was last at $1.0887, having fallen 0.4% in the previous session after the European Central Bank kept rates on hold as expected but left the door open to a September cut as it downgraded its view of the euro zone's economic prospects.

"The policy statement gives little away, offering no meaningful changes from June - continuing to stress a data-dependent approach to policy setting," said Nick Rees, FX market analyst at MonFX.

"We still think that a September cut remains the base case."

The dollar was meanwhile on the front foot, distancing itself from a four-month low hit earlier in the week against a basket of currencies .

Sterling eased to $1.2934 after data showed British retail sales volume fell by more than expected in June.

The dollar was partially underpinned by strong US manufacturing data and jobless figures that did little to suggest a significant slowing in the labour market, though traders are still pricing in a September rate cut from the Federal Reserve.

The yen last traded at 157.41 per dollar, though was headed for a slight gain for the week, helped by suspected bouts of intervention by Japanese authorities to prop up the currency and as an acceleration in the core inflation last month kept alive expectations that the Bank of Japan could soon raise interest rates.

In commodities, oil prices fell. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $84.7 a barrel, while US crude futures slid 0.58% to $82.34 per barrel.

Gold eased 0.6%, retreating from a record high of $2,483.60 per ounce hit earlier this week on the prospect of lower global interest rates.