European stocks mixed as investors focus on US midterm results

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - European stocks on Wednesday opened mixed as global investors focus on US midterm election results, which could signal a shift in power in the US.

The STOXX Europe 600 benchmark index decreased by 0.18% to 420.9 points and Germany's DAX 40 index went down 0.29% to 13,650 points.

The UK's FTSE 100 index diminished by 0.23% to 7,289 points and France's CAC 40 index went down 0.1% to 6,435 points.

Spain's IBEX 35 index increased by 0.1% to 8,010 points, and in Italy, the MIB 30 index stands at 23,797 points, up 0.43%.

The euro/dollar parity is currently following a horizontal course after completing the day with a 0.5% increase at 1.0071 by carrying its upward trend for the third day in a row Tuesday.

The preliminary results of the US midterm election by the Associated Press showed that the Republicans have taken 17 seats in the US Senate while their rivals Democrats gained 10 seats, as vote counting remains underway, according to projections late Tuesday.