LONDON — European stocks are set for a muted open Thursday as investors digest corporate earnings and look ahead to a new rate decision by the European Central Bank.
TICKER COMPANY NAME PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME
.FTSE FTSE 100 *FTSE 7253.27 -24.35 -0.33 606503765
.GDAXI DAX *DAX 15705.81 0 0 0
.FCHI CAC 40 Index CAC 6753.52 0 0 68739178
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 is set to rise by just 3 points to 7,251, Germany’s DAX is set to slip 3 points to 15,694 and France’s CAC is set to fall 8 points to 6,741, according to IG.
European traders will digest a busy morning of earnings, with Shell, Airbus, Stellantis, Total and Volkswagen just some of those reporting before the bell.
Meanwhile, traders will monitor a rate decision by the ECB and a subsequent press conference with President Christine Lagarde. The market will look for further clues on when the central bank will look to formally taper its asset purchases.
In Asia, shares were lower in Thursday trade as the Bank of Japan announced its decision to hold steady on monetary policy.
The big economic news in Europe on Wednesday came out of the U.K., as Finance Minister Rishi Sunak delivered his budget statement in the afternoon.
The half-yearly update on the country’s public finances included multi-billion pound spending on health care and transport, as well as a rise in the national living wage.
