Major European stock markets opened in the red on Thursday as investors assessed the latest quarterly earnings reports by Renault Group, Nestle, Roche, Sanofi, Eni, BNP Paribas and Unilever. On the economic front, the French statistical office revealed in a report that consumer confidence in the country improved slightly in April, while the German Ifo Institute is expected to release a fresh report on business confidence later in the day.

The DAX dropped 0.18% and the Euro Stoxx 50 lost 0.45% at 9:00 am CET, with Infineon dragging both indexes down by plummeting 5.60%. At the same time, the FTSE 100 declined by 0.11% as Legal & General Group dipped 5.50%. The CAC 40 fell by 0.23% and Thales plunged 5.13%.

The euro gained 0.32% compared to the dollar to go for $1.13519 at 8:58 am CET. Simultaneously, the pound traded 0.16% higher against the greenback, selling for $1.32745.