European equities opened lower, as uncertainty surrounding negotiations between the United States and Iran weighed on investor sentiment. The United Kingdom's retail sales rose 0.7% in March, beating market expectations, while France's consumer confidence index and Germany's Ifo business climate index both came in below forecasts.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index stood at 609.18, down 5.02 points or 0.8%. The UK's FTSE 100 index was at 10,387, down 69 points or 0.7%; France's CAC 40 index was at 8,143, down 83 points or 1%; Germany's DAX index was at 24,099, down 55 points or 0.2%; Spain's IBEX 35 index was at 17,666, down 219 points or 1.2%; and Italy's FTSE MIB index was at 47,448, down 459 points or nearly 1%.

Among individual stocks, Renault fell 3.9% after the company reported that first-quarter sales declined 3.3% YoY, while revenue rose 7.3% YoY to EUR12.5 billion. German software company SAP climbed 6%, as its quarterly operating profit increased nearly 17% and cloud business revenue grew 19%. Swedish home appliance maker Electrolux incurred costs of SEK463 million from closing its Santiago, Chile plant and recorded negative operating cash flow, sending its shares plunging 24%.

In US stock futures, DJIA futures fell 126 points or 0.3% to 49,364; S&P 500 futures rose 9 points or 0.1% to 7,152; and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 191 points or 0.7% to 27,125. In Asia-Pacific markets, the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets fell 0.3% and 0.7%, respectively; Hong Kong stocks rose 0.2%; Taiwan stocks surged 3.2% to a record high; Japan stocks gained 1%; and South Korea stocks were nearly flat. Australia and New Zealand markets each slipped less than 0.1%. India's market was last down 1.3%, Singapore fell 0.2%, and Indonesia declined 3.4%. (fc/u)

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