European markets are set for a mixed open Friday morning, with investors’ attention turning to inflation and economic growth data, as well as corporate earnings.
European stocks look set to follow Asia-Pacific markets, which struggled for gains Friday, despite a positive finish stateside to Thursday’s trading session.
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 looks set to open 14 points lower at 6,948, Germany’s DAX 30 is expected to edge 19 points higher at 15,175 and France’s CAC 40 is seen trading 4 points up at 6,307.
Investor focus in Europe will be on economic data on Friday, with a flash inflation figure for April expected at 10 a.m. London time, along with March’s unemployment rate and gross domestic product growth for the first quarter.
Corporate earnings also remain on investors’ minds, with banks BNP Paribas and Barclays due to report Friday, along with Covid-19 vaccine maker AstraZeneca.
Stateside stock futures dipped in overnight trading, despite e-commerce giant Amazon reporting a record first-quarter profit. However, social media platform Twitter missed analyst forecasts on user growth expectations and shared lower-than-expected revenue guidance for the second quarter.
Wall Street will also keep a close eye on personal income and spending data, set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday morning. That data could provide investors, and the Federal Reserve, with a valuable look at how quickly prices are rising across the U.S. economy as it recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
