European stocks mixed as sentiment remains wary; UK food prices fall

European stock markets were mixed Tuesday as investors digested gloomy economic data from the region. The Stoxx 600 index was 0.16% higher at 9:20 a.m. London time, with sectors spread between muted losses and gains. Utilities fell 0.8% as banks rose 0.6%. Stocks have broadly failed to shake off their August and September gloom at the start of the new month, with the Stoxx declining Monday as data revealed an outgoing downturn in manufacturing output, as new orders fell by a near-record level. In Asia-Pacific markets overnight, Hong Kong stocks fell about 3%, leading wider losses in the region. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index traded 3.12% lower after coming back from a National Day holiday on Monday. U.S. stock futures were little changed on Monday night, with U.S. markets kicking off October trading after lawmakers in Washington arrived at a short-term agreement over the weekend that staved off a government shutdown