Half-time in Europe: stuck in the red
SPY•Broader market backdrop
Copper hits record high
STOXX 600 down 0.1%, paring losses
Yen heads for second daily gain
U.S. futures lower
Mining stocks and Novartis drive sector moves
Those are up 2.3% across Europe .SXPP at their highest since June, helped by surging metal prices. More on that in the copper post below.
Healthcare .SXDP names are at the bottom of the charts, falling 2%. The responsible party there is Novartis NOVN.S which is having one of its biggest daily falls on record - last down 9.5% on the day after a second unsuccessful drug trial.
Helping stabilise the big picture is traders briefly taking some hope from a Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson saying that Qatar is working with partners in the region and around the world, including China, to resume talks between the United States and Iran.
European stocks remain slightly lower at midday
We're just about half-way through the European trading day, and the STOXX 600 .STOXX is still in the red - but only just. It has erased most of its earlier decline, last trading 0.1% lower.
The CAC .FCHI is also just below the flatline, while the DAX .GDAXI is down 0.2%. The FTSE .FTSE is meanwhile inching higher as it tries to build some momentum, supported by mining stocks.
