Cautious Optimism Seen Guiding European Markets

(RTTNews) - European markets are expected to open on Friday on a cautiously optimistic note amidst anxiety ahead of the crucial PCE-based inflation update due from the U.S. on Friday that could sway the Fed's plans regarding further monetary easing. The PCE Price Index is expected to soften both on a year-on-year as well as month-on-month basis. A slew of stimulus measures introduced by China is also expected to support market sentiment in the region.

Wall Street had closed on a positive note on Thursday, amidst upbeat corporate earnings and strong economic data. Durable goods orders were unchanged in August versus market expectation of a 2.6-percent decline. The final reading of the second quarter GDP was also unrevised at 3 percent. Also, weekly data showed an unexpected decline in the initial jobless claims. Nasdaq Composite added 0.60 percent to close trading at 18,190.29 whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.62 percent to finish trading at 42,175.11.

Positive sentiment prevailed in the European bourses also on Thursday amidst renewed optimism over China's stimulus efforts. The pan-European Stoxx-50 and France's CAC 40, both surged close to 2.3 percent. Germany's DAX rallied 1.7 percent. Switzerland's SMI gained 0.4 percent followed by U.K.'s FTSE 100 that added 0.20 percent.

Current indications from the European stock futures indicate a mixed sentiment. The FTSE 100 Futures (Dec) has added 0.11 percent. The DAX Futures (Dec) has slipped 0.14 percent. The CAC 40 Futures (Oct) has shed 0.07 percent. The pan-European Stoxx 50 Futures (Dec) has declined 0.08 percent. The SMI Futures (Dec) finished Thursday's trading 0.83 percent higher.

American stock futures are trading weak. The US 30 (DJIA) is trading flat, whereas the US500 (S&P 500) is trading 0.03 percent below the flatline.

Asian stock markets are trading on a strong positive note buoyed by the stimulus measures from China. China's Shanghai Composite has jumped 2.7 percent followed by Hong Kong's Hang Seng that has surged 2.2 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark has also rallied close to 2 percent. DJ New Zealand has gained 0.4 percent. India's Nifty 50 is trading 0.1 percent above the flatline. Australia's S&P ASX 200 has edged up 0.03 percent. South Korea's KOSPI has however slipped 0.56 percent.

Amidst anxiety ahead of the crucial PCE-based inflation readings due from the U.S. on Friday, the Dollar Index (DXY) has firmed up. DXY, a measure of the U.S. dollar's strength relative to six currencies, is trading 0.23 percent higher at 100.75 versus the previous close of 100.52. The EUR/USD pair has edged down 0.12 percent to 1.1163 whereas the GBP/USD pair has slipped 0.26 percent to trade at 1.3380.

Gold edged down after more than 7 days of continuous gains. Gold Futures for December settlement is trading at $2,686.00, which is 0.33 percent lower than the previous close of $2,694.90.

Crude oil prices declined amidst speculations about Saudi Arabia increasing its crude oil output. Brent Crude Futures for December settlement shed 0.15 percent to $70.98 whereas WTI Crude Futures for November settlement has slipped 0.09 percent to $67.61. Major data releases scheduled from the region on Friday include preliminary inflation readings for September from France, unemployment report from Germany, update on Economic Sentiment from the Euro Area and Confederation of British Industry's Distributive Trades report. Markets are also looking forward to speeches by ECB's Philip Lane and Piero Cipollone scheduled for Friday.

Major earnings updates due from the region on Friday include Costco Wholesale Corp, H&M Hennes & Mauritz, KSW SAAT, Hornbach-Baumarkt and Verbio Vereinigte Bioenergie.