European Shares Seen Flat To Higher At Open

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening flat to slightly higher on Thursday as investors await the latest PMI data from the region and look forward to key speeches from Fed officials when they convene in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the Fed's annual economic symposium.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is due to speak on Friday, with investors looking for clues on the Fed's next move.

Fed funds futures currently price in about an 82 percent chance of the central bank cutting interest rates at its next policy gathering in September, according to CME's FedWatch tool.

U.S. reports on weekly jobless claims, existing home sales and leading economic indicators may shed further light on the state of the world's largest economy ahead of Powell's eighth and final keynote Jackson Hole speech as Federal Reserve Chair.

Asian markets were mostly higher as investors reacted to hawkish Fed minutes and awaited progress on Ukraine peace talks.

Treasuries steadied after climbing across the curve in the prior session. The dollar hovered below a one-week high after President Trump called for Fed governor Lisa Cook to resign over mortgage allegations.

Cook said in a statement; "I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet."

Gold traded lower while oil held overnight gains after a report showed a drawdown in U.S. inventories.

Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mostly lower after minutes of the July Fed meeting suggested divisions over inflation, and reports suggested the Trump administration is reviewing options to acquire equity stakes in Intel and other chipmakers in return for the federal subsidies.

According to the Fed minutes, attendees of the late July meeting found that risks surrounding U.S. inflation outweighed those to employment, underscoring a central bank divide over the effects of President Trump's tariffs.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.7 percent and the S&P 500 dipped 0.2 percent while the Dow finished marginally higher.

European stocks ended mixed on Wednesday as investors weighed the latest trade and geopolitical developments.

The pan European STOXX 600 gained 0.2 percent to extend gains for a third consecutive session.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 rallied 1.1 percent to a fresh record close despite inflation accelerating to an 18-month high in July.

France's CAC 40 slid marginally and the German DAX shed 0.6 percent as data showed Eurozone inflation held steady at 2 percent in July.