Mubasher: European equities were mixed in early Wednesday as investors remained cautious while hopes of a resolution the US-Sino trade conflict waned, according to CNBC.

By 8:22 am GMT, the pan-European benchmark STOXX 600 index rose by 0.27% to 379.74 points, but it oscillated between green and red zones earlier, as telecoms and travel and leisure shares gained 0.3%, while food and beverages fell by 0.2%.

The US slapped visa restrictions on Chinese officials linked to abuses of Xinjiang minorities, after already adding 28 Chinese security entities to the so-called “Entity List.”

Tensions also mounted on the back of remarks by a leading US National Basketball Association (NBA) official in a tweet supporting Hong Kong protests.

In addition, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell suggested that the central bank was open to more rate cuts to avoid global economic risks, reaffirming that the Fed would act “as appropriate,” while indicating that the US growth would be sustained.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was reportedly facing criticism from his cabinet over worries about an abrupt no-deal departure from the European Union (EU), the Times said on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar reportedly reiterated in a phone call their desire to ink a Brexit deal before the 31 October deadline.