-
Europe's technology stocks were the top performers.
-
Investors are monitoring earnings and Brexit talks.
European stocks turned lower in early afternoon trading, dragged down by auto stocks.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was off by 0.1 percent with investors tracking corporate earnings.
Auto stocks fell as much as 1.3 percent, with Peugeot down by 3 percent and Renault off by 2.4 percent. This was after news that European car sales dropped 23.4 percent in the month of September. Volkswagen, Fiat and Renault led the slump, Reuters reported.
On the other hand, Europe's technology stocks were the top performers. ASML ASML-NL was the top sectoral performer, after the Amsterdam-listed stock beat profit expectations in the third quarter. Its shares jumped 4.8 percent.
Looking at individual stocks, Dutch paints and coatings maker Akzo Nobel AKZA-NL was trading close to the top of the European benchmark. Its shares were more than 3 percent higher after the company said core profit jumped 8 percent .
Meanwhile, shares in Germany's Fresenius Medical Care FME-DE slumped to the bottom of the index after the medical group cut its 2018 sales and income outlook due to the under-performance of its U.S. business. Shares tanked 17 percent on the news.
Brexit talks
Investors are also monitoring a crunch EU summit in Belgium later. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to urge other EU leaders to give ground on the issue of the Irish border when she address them in Brussels on Wednesday.
The post- Brexit status of the Irish border remains a sticking point for negotiators, with both sides unable to agree on how to avoid a so-called hard border when Britain leaves the EU on 29 March next year.
Ahead of the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk said there were "no grounds for optimism" over a Brexit deal.
More From CNBC