European stocks mixed; investors digest missile strike, UK CPI, corporate earnings

European stocks fell at the opening as investigations continued into the origin of a missile strike on Poland overnight that killed two people amid a Russian bombardment of Ukraine and investors digested the highest UK inflation figure for 41 years.

US President Joe Biden said it was unlikely that the missile strike on Poland came directly from Russia. At 03:55 ET (08:55 GMT), the DAX index in Germany traded 0.4% lower, while CAC 40 in France rose 0.1% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. climbed 0.2%.

Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, urged caution at the G20 meeting in Indonesia, after a rocket killed two people in a Polish village close to the frontier with Ukraine late Tuesday.

They are keen to avoid a major escalation with Russia, especially as doubts exist over where the missile was fired from, while Moscow has denied responsibility for the strike.

Elsewhere, the latest inflation data out of the U.K. showed that consumer prices rose 11.1% in October from a year earlier, a 41-year high and a jump from 10.1% the prior month. The data comes just a day before Chancellor Jeremy Hunt reveals a number of measures designed to fill an estimated £50 billion (£1=$1.1881) gap in public finances, likely including tax rises and spending cuts.

Turning to the corporate sector, Siemens Energy (ETR:ENR1n) stock rose 4.6% after announcing it would not be paying a dividend for 2022, citing a quarterly net loss, hit by a charge due to the restructuring of its Russian division, as well as challenges related to its struggling wind turbine division Siemens Gamesa (BME:SGREN).

Experian (LON:EXPN) stock rose 0.4% after the world's largest credit data firm posted a higher first-half profit, boosted by steady demand for borrowing across its markets. Premier Foods (LON:PFD) stock rose 0.7% after the company reported a rise in half-yearly adjusted profit on strong demand for its cakes and grocery products.

British Land (LON:BLND) stock fell 2% after the developer posted a downturn in the value of its properties, as rising interest rates and a dark economic outlook weigh on the U.K. real estate market.

Oil prices rebounded Wednesday following an unsubstantiated report that an oil tanker has been hit by a drone off the coast of Oman, potentially impacting supply in an already tight market.

The crude market had traded lower earlier Wednesday following mixed U.S. inventories data from the American Petroleum Institute, released Tuesday. While crude inventories shrank almost 6 million barrels last week, far more than expected, gasoline inventories grew 1.7 million barrels, suggesting waning demand from the biggest economy in the world.

By 03:55 ET, U.S. crude futures traded 0.2% higher at $87.11 a barrel, while the Brent contract rose 0.5% to $94.36.

In addition, gold futures rose 0.3% to $1,782.60/oz, while EUR/USD traded 0.6% higher at 1.0406.