European Shares Likely To Open On Firm Note Ahead Of Trump's Ceasefire Deadline

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening flat to slightly higher on Tuesday as traders return from Good Friday and Easter holidays.

U.S. President Donald Trump has re-upped a previous April 6 deadline for Iran to make a deal that would end the conflict and open up the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday, Trump described a "significant proposal" received from Iran as "not good enough", threatening to decimate Iran within four hours if it did not agree to a deal by Tuesday night.

"We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again, I mean complete demolition by 12 o'clock, and it'll happen over a period of four hours, if we wanted to," Trump told a press conference.

Iran's military command ?said the U.S. president was "delusional" and called his warnings "rude, arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats".

In economic news, data released on Friday showed the U.S. economy added 178,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.3 percent, a robust showing after a run of weakness.

A slew of data releases —including the FOMC March Minutes, February personal income, March CPI and Q4 final GDP data will be in the spotlight as the week progresses.

Asian markets were broadly higher this morning, the dollar held near recent highs and Brent crude prices were higher above $111 a barrel while gold held steady at $4,655 an ounce.

Overnight, U.S. stocks edged higher, adding to the strong gains posted last week, as fighting continued in the Middle East and data showed U.S. employers hired more workers last month than economists had expected.

U.S. services sector growth slowed in March, while prices paid by businesses for inputs increased by the most in more than 13 years, separate set of data revealed.

Iran rejected a U.S. proposal for ceasefire and sent back a 10-point proposal that outlines demands, including ending regional conflicts, a protocol governing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of international sanctions and a commitment to reconstruct war-affected areas.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained half a percent while the S&P 500 and the Dow both added around 0.4 percent.