to end the week, with investors monitoring a slew of economic data and corporate earnings.
TICKER COMPANY NAME PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME
.FTSE FTSE 100 FTSE 6918.80 -19.44 -0.28 9667975
.GDAXI DAX DAX 15272.92 -47.60 -0.31 1789157
.FCHI CAC 40 Index CAC 6259.32 -7.96 -0.13 1353266
The pan-European Stoxx 600 slipped 0.2% below the flatline in early trade, with telecoms falling 0.5% while autos gained 0.3%.
Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed during Friday’s trade, while U.S. stock index futures are pointing to a muted open later in the day, after a sell-off on Thursday amid reports that the White House is considering a capital gains tax hike.
IHS Markit’s euro zone flash PMI (purchasing managers’ index) readings for April will be published at 9 a.m. London time, offering a useful insight into the health of the bloc’s economic recovery.
PMIs are also expected out of the U.K. on Friday morning, while U.K. retail sales soared 5.4% in March, vastly outstripping expectations ahead of the country’s phased exit from lockdown.
A GfK survey showed British consumer sentiment this month rising to its highest point since the pandemic as the economy begins to partially reopen.
It’s another big day for earnings in Europe, with Air Liquide, Schaeffler and LafargeHolcim among the blue chip companies reporting on Friday. Renault and Merck both hold their annual general meetings.
Daimler upped its profit forecasts for 2021 on Friday morning, but cautioned that the global shortage of semiconductor chips may continue to weigh on second-quarter sales.
Cryptocurrencies are also on investors’ radar after a plunge overnight, with bitcoin dipping below $50,000.
