GLOBAL MARKETS-Brexit woes, mixed earnings see stocks lose steam, sterling lingers

* World stocks flat after two days of gains
* German Ifo steady, consumer mood at 3-year low
* U.S. futures point to flat open
* Sterling fragile after PM Johnson election call
* UK markets await news from Brussels on extension

By Karin Strohecker
LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Geopolitical tensions, muted
economic data and mixed earnings stymied global stocks on Friday
with sterling languishing near a one week lows amid a new bout
of Brexit anxiety.
European stock markets traded broadly softer with the pan
regional STOXX 600 .STOXX slipping 0.3%, with Germany's DAX
.GDAXI eased 0.2% while Britain's FTSE .FTSE fell 0.4%.
Losses were led by the food and beverage sector .SX3P
weighed after the world's largest beer maker by Anheuser-Busch
InBev ABI.BR tumbled 9% on disappointing quarterly profit and
a glum outlook as the earnings season rumbled on.
Yet a luxury goods rally led by Kering PRTP.PA helped lift
France's CAC index .FCHI 0.1% after its star fashion label
Gucci posted stronger-than-expected sales, demonstrating how
some brands have managed to shield from the fallout over
protests in Hong Kong. Meanwhile lacklustre data did little to quell underlying
concerns over the health of the global economy. Germany's Ifo
business climate came in broadly unchanged while
the mood among consumers in the block's largest economy fell to
its lowest in three years heading into November as job losses in
the auto and financial sector made shoppers more pessimistic
about the outlook for Europe's biggest economy. "We may have reached the bottom in the euro zone, but there
is still uncertainty that is troublesome in the U.S. Many
accounts will be waiting for the Fed," said Cyril Regnat, a
fixed income strategist at Natixis, referring to next week's
meeting of the U.S. central bank with markets pricing a 90%
chance of a rate cut. The lacklustre performance in Europe follows a mixed picture
in Asia where Japan's Nikkei .N225 finished up 0.2% and
Chinese blue-chips .CSI300 gained 0.6% while Hong Kong's Hang
Seng .HSI fell 0.28%.
U.S. futures pointed to a flat open on Wall Street following
a mixed Thursday, which saw strong quarterly results from
Microsoft MSFT.O and PayPal PYPL.O lift the Nasdaq 0.8%
while the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI slipped 0.1% after
3M MMM.N slashed its full-year earnings outlook.
Meanwhile Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O shares will be in focus
after the company on Thursday forecast revenue and profit for
the holiday quarter below expectations on fierce competition and
rising costs from its plan to speed up delivery times
globally Trade talks are also back in focus with U.S. and Chinese
trade officials due to discuss plans for China to buy more U.S.
farm products while Beijing in return will request cancellation
of some planned and existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.
The two sides are working to try to agree on a text for a
"Phase 1" trade agreement announced by U.S. President Donald
Trump on Oct. 11, in time for him to sign it with China's
President Xi Jinping next month at a summit in Chile. Though
there are still large gaps to bridge.
However, a speech by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on
Thursday, which criticised China's handling of the Hong Kong
protests and its treatment of Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang
region, did jangle nerves. "Geopolitical concerns such as the global trade war are
keeping investor optimism in check," said Paula Polito, client
strategy officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, adding the
firm's latest survey had found that investors had opted to raise
their holdings of cash well above usual levels.
A Reuters poll of economists showed that most think a
steeper decline in global growth is more likely than a
synchronised recovery, despite central bank easing. In his last meeting as president of the European Central
Bank, Mario Draghi left ECB policy and guidance unchanged, but
advised his successor to "never give up" on propping up the
eurozone economy in the face of a worsening outlook. TO BRUSSELS
In currency markets, the dollar .DXY traded flat against a
basket of six major currencies while the euro steadied after
falling to a one-week low against the U.S. dollar in the
previous session on the ECB leaving the door open for more
monetary policy easing, but keeping interest rates unchanged.
The British pound edged down to $1.2823, extending a 0.5%
drop on Thursday, after European Union failed to set a date for
Britain's departure from the bloc while the UK parliament
squabbled over Prime Minister Boris Johnson's call for a
December election to break the deadlock.
Johnson conceded on Thursday for the first time that he
would not meet his "do or die" deadline to leave the European
Union next week. "Because the UK Parliament passed the EU withdrawal
agreement, we think downside for GBP will be limited," said
Peter Kinsella, head of FX strategy at UBP. "However, the lead
time until the general election may prevent material GBP
appreciation until after the election."
EU ambassadors agreed in principle to a delay beyond the
Oct. 31 deadline, but will not decide the length of the
extension until Monday or Tuesday, an official said.
Euro zone bond markets have largely shrugged off the latest
Brexit events, with the benchmark 10-year German government
yield up 2 basis point at -0.38% DE10YT=RR .
The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR
also held steady.
Oil prices steadied after suffering falls earlier in the
session, but were on track for strong weekly gains as support
from a surprise draw in U.S. inventories and possible action
from OPEC and its allies to trim production further outweighed
broader economic concerns.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 stood at $56.17 a
barrel and global benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 at $61.62 per
barrel. O/R

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