European stocks little changed, Hong Kong dollar falls the most in three weeks on protests

European stocks were little changed as investors awaited data on American personal spending and income, as well as pending home sales, to gauge the timing of any Federal Reserve interest-rate increases. U.S. stock futures and Asian shares dropped. The Hong Kong dollar, which is allowed to trade within a tight band versus the U.S. currency, slipped for a sixth day and is at its weakest level since March, Bloomberg reports.

Balfour tumbled 22 percent to 174.4 pence after forecasting a further profit shortfall of about 75 million pounds ($122 million) in its U.K. construction services unit. The London-based company also said Executive Chairman Steve Marshall plans to leave after the new chief executive officer is identified.

UBS advanced 1.1 percent to 16.89 Swiss francs. Earnings in the two months totaled 731 million francs ($767 million), according to a UBS statement today. That is ahead of the 713 million-franc third-quarter net income average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Commerzbank AG slid 3 percent to 11.87 euros. The German lender seeking to resolve a probe into Iran sanctions violations also faces a U.S. inquiry into whether it broke anti-money-laundering laws, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

RWE AG dropped 2.1 percent to 30.83 euros. Germany’s largest power producer said a plan to sell its RWE Dea oil and gas unit to Russian tycoon Mikhail Fridman’s LetterOne investment group has been delayed as a U.K. regulator has yet to approve the deal.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index retreated less than 0.1 percent to 342.22 at 9:26 a.m. in London, after earlier falling as much as 0.5 percent. The benchmark gauge retreated 1.8 percent last week as investors assessed the health of the euro-area economy and central-bank stimulus policies. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures lost 0.3 percent today, while the MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 0.7 percent.

Investors are awaiting U.S. economic data for indications as to the timing of an increase in interest rates. Consumer spending climbed 0.4 percent last month after falling 0.1 percent in July, while gains in personal income accelerated, according to Bloomberg News surveys before today’s Commerce Department data at 8:30 a.m. Washington time.

A report from the National Association of Realtors at 10 a.m. may show a pending home-sales index slipped 0.5 percent in August following a 3.3 percent gain in July.

Data at 11 a.m. from the European Commission in Brussels may show a final reading of euro-area consumer confidence remained unchanged at minus 11.4 in September, deteriorating for a fourth straight month, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Hong Kong’s stocks fell the most in almost three weeks, the city’s currency weakened and equity-market volatility surged amid the biggest police crackdown on protesters since the city returned to Chinese rule.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 1.9 percent to 23,229.21 at the close in Hong Kong, its biggest loss since Sept. 10, as developers and retailers tumbled. A gauge of stock volatility jumped 24 percent, the steepest surge in three years. The city’s currency slid to a six-month low and one-year interest-rate swaps climbed the most in 15 months.