European Shares Seen Opening Mixed; BoE Rate Decision Eyed

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening on a mixed note on Thursday after four days of gains.

U.S. stock futures were little changed after the three major averages rallied overnight on dovish Fed outlook.

The U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and signaled the possibility of two rate cuts by the end of the year, given increased uncertainty around the economic outlook.

The Fed also lowered its economic outlook for the year, marked up its inflation expectations and said it will start shrinking its balance sheet at a slower pace starting next month amid growing worries around tariffs.

Elsewhere, Brazil's central bank raised interest rates by 100 basis points on Wednesday for the third consecutive time and signaled a smaller rate hike at its next policy meeting.

Later today, the Bank of England is forecast to leave interest rates unchanged amid much uncertainty about the impact of U.S. trade tariffs.

The Swiss National Bank is tipped to cut rates by 25 basis points against a backdrop of subdued inflation, a strong Swiss franc, and an uncertain global economic outlook.

In economic releases, U.S. reports on weekly jobless claims, existing home sales and leading economic indicators may garner some attention later in the day.

On the geopolitical front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed to partial ceasefire with Russia, following an hour-long phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Asian markets were mixed as China's central bank kept interest rates steady to stabilize its currency amid mounting trade frictions.

The dollar wobbled, helping gold scale a new peak above $2,050 per ounce. Oil prices climbed after a U.S. government report allayed concerns about near-term demand destruction.

U.S. stocks ended higher overnight while Treasury yields slipped after the Fed's widely anticipated interest-rate decision.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite surged 1.4 percent as an investor event reassured markets about demand for artificial intelligence computing. The S&P 500 rallied 1.1 percent and the Dow added 0.9 percent.

European stocks rose for a fourth straight session on Wednesday, with geopolitical tensions, the Fed's rate decision and Germany's debt reforms in focus.

The pan European STOXX 600 gained 0.2 percent. France's CAC 40 jumped 0.7 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished marginally higher while the German DAX dipped 0.4 percent.