BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks edged lower on Thursday as investors awaited the outcome of a European Central Bank meeting later today for direction.
There are some expectations that euro zone policymakers will expand debt purchases to include junk bonds as part of a bond-buying stimulus scheme.
The benchmark DAX was down 15 points at 11,093 after climbing 2.9 percent in the previous session.
Banks Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank fell over 2 percent as benchmark 10-year Bund yield fell more than 2 basis points to -0.51%, its lowest level in over a week.
Aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines rallied 2.4 percent. The company said it was too early to issue a new outlook to replace the guidance it withdrew in March.
Technology company Aixtron fell over 2 percent after posting a loss in the first quarter and confirming full-year guidance.
Chemical company BASF declined 2.3 percent after saying it won't be able to meet its full-year goals.
On the data front, German unemployment rate climbed slightly to an adjusted 3.5 percent in March from 3.4 percent in February, data from Destatis revealed. In the same period last year, the rate was 3.2 percent.
On an unadjusted basis, the jobless rate advanced to 3.8 percent from 3.4 percent in the previous month. After seasonal adjustment, the number of unemployed increased by 11,900 to 1.53 million in March.
Another report showed that Germany's retail turnover fell by a real 5.6 percent on a monthly basis in March, in contrast to a 0.8 percent rise in February. This was the biggest fall since January 2007.
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