Business and consumer confidence in the euro zone fell in July from June, with a significant weakening evident in France and Germany, and a reading on Spain’s second-quarter gross domestic product fell 0.4% from the first quarter, its third quarterly contraction in a row. In the U.K., mortgage lending fell in June to the lowest level since December 2010.
Crude-oil futures eased 0.5% to $89.65 a barrel, while gold futures edged up 0.3% to $1,622.40 a troy ounce. The U.S. dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen. The yield on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds fell to 1.503% as demand rose.
In corporate news, AT&T rose near 1% after the blue-chip telecom company said it increased its stock-repurchase program by 300 million shares, which represents about 5% of the company’s shares outstanding. Trina Solar (TSL) fell after the solar-panel provider lowered its guidance for the second quarter, citing lower-than-expected shipment volume.