European stocks are expected to open mixed after positive data from China reassured investors concerned about a global slowdown.
The FTSE is set to open 7 points lower at 7,462, while Germany’s DAX is set to open 2 points higher at 12,103 and the French CAC index is expected to open up 3 points at 5,531, according to IG.
Asian stocks turned higher on Wednesday, after Chinese economic data beat expectations and showed gross domestic product (GDP) in the world’s second-largest economy grew by 6.4% in the first quarter.
China’s industrial output surged 8.5% year-on-year in March, while retail sales rose by 8.7% year-on-year.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged around 0.2% higher on the back of the data, and Japan’s Nikkei index was up by a third of a percent.
Market focus is also attuned to corporate earnings, with a string of U.S. companies releasing their first-quarter reports this week. Tuesday saw mixed results from Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal and Netflix, with shares of the streaming giant falling after it provided lower-than-expected guidance for the second quarter.
BNY Mellon, PepsiCo and telecoms firm Ericsson are due to report their first-quarter earnings on Wednesday.
Back in Europe, Britain is due to publish its Consumer Price Index report at 8:30 a.m. London time.
Source: CNBC
