European Shares Seen Mostly Lower; FTSE 100 May Rise As Oil Prices Surge

(RTTNews) - European stocks may open broadly lower on Friday, though commodities-heavy FTSE 100 may rise at open, buoyed by a surge in oil prices.

Brent and WTI were on track for about 2 percent weekly gains on signs of tightening supply after fresh U.S. sanctions on Iran and a new OPEC+ plan for seven members to cut output.

A cautious undertone may prevail elsewhere in the region due to tariff-related worries and ahead of the crucial Triple Witching options expiration in the U.S. that often stokes volatility.

Technology stocks could be in focus after memory-chip maker Micron Technology reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, signaling strong demand for its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used by the AI industry.

On the other hand, consultancy firm Accenture said the Trump administration's efforts to reduce federal spending have led to delays and cancellations of new contracts.

FedEx Corp. — an economic bellwether — lowered its full-year profit and revenue forecasts, while sportswear brand Nike forecast fourth-quarter revenue below estimates.

Traders may also ponder what U.S. tariffs could mean for the global economy in the long run.

Ahead of reciprocal tariffs coming from the U.S., the European Union said it would wait until mid-April to impose retaliatory tariffs against some U.S. imports—including a 50 percent tax on American whiskey.

Asian stocks were mixed, with Chinese and Hong Kong markets falling sharply as tech shares tumbled on profit taking following recent sharp gains.

Japan's core inflation eased in February, but price pressures remained strong in key categories, supporting further policy normalization by Bank of Japan.

Gold prices fell from record highs amid pressure from as stronger dollar on increased bets that U.S. interest rates will remain unchanged in the near-term.

U.S. stocks fluctuated before closing modestly lower overnight on fears over President Trump's tariffs and signs of escalating geopolitical tensions, following reports of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and a huge blast triggered by a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian airfield.

Jobless claims held steady last week and there was an unexpected increase in existing home sales, helping calm concerns about an economic slowdown.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3 percent and the S&P 500 eased 0.2 percent while the narrower Dow ended little changed.

European stocks ended a four-day winning streak on Thursday as investors digested a slew of policy announcements from central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.

The pan European STOXX 600 dropped 0.4 percent. The German DAX lost 1.2 percent, France's CAC 40 fell 1 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished marginally lower.