European bourses look set to open in the red Thursday morning, with investors awaiting data and monitoring speeches from central bankers at the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) annual meeting in Washington D.C.
The German DAX is seen down by 7 points at 12,964. The U.K. FTSE is expected to begin the day’s trading down by 6 points at 7,528, while the French CAC is called lower by 3 points at 5,360.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has given the Catalan government eight days to drop its independence bid, a decision made after meetings on Wednesday. Should the region fail to do so, Rajoy will suspend its political autonomy and rule via the central government in Madrid. Thursday also marks Spain’s National Day holiday. Markets are seen dramatically higher, up 141 points at 10,283.
On the continent, Thursday marks the concluding day of the present round of Brexit talks between the U.K. and the European Union.
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi and several other ECB members are set to speak at the IMF’s annual meeting in Washington D.C. The Bretton Woods International Council Annual Meeting is also set to take place in the U.S. capital, with speakers including French central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau and World Bank President Jim Kim.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is expected Thursday to announce a de-certification of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, thereby putting its future into question. Wednesday the president said that he was open to bilateral trade deals with Canada and Mexico should talks concerning the North American Free Trade Agreement fail.
Investors will also monitor data out today, including the French inflation figures and the IEA’s oil market report. U.S. banks Citigroup and JPMorgan are among those to announce third-quarter earnings.
Source: CNBC
