European Shares Seen Steady At Open

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening higher on Friday after U.S. markets recovered from earlier losses to end little changed overnight on hopes for a resumption of U.S.-Iran talks.

Overall gains, however, may remain limited due to concerns emanating from soaring Treasury yields and oil prices.

Oil prices ended Thursday's session about 3 percent higher at a one-week high after a spate of Houthi attacks on Saudi targets revived supply fears.

The session was volatile, with crude prices ending off their day's highs, after media reports suggested that Washington and Tehran are exploring a phased arrangement aimed at ending the nearly seven-month conflict.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have concluded their bilateral talks in Washington.

Despite differences over Iran, Taiwan and trade, Trump described the meeting as "great" and hailed the "truly great friendship" he has forged with his counterpart.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Xi's visit to the U.S. as a "great visit."

U.S. stock futures ticked lower on concerns over AI funding after Oracle invoked force majeure over its Project Jupiter data center in New Mexico, seeking to shield itself from racking up expenses if the facility is delayed beyond 2028.

Asian stocks were mixed, with Japan's Nikkei rising more than 1 percent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell around 1.5 percent, dragged down by technology stocks and property developers.

Markets in South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China were closed for public holidays.

The U.S. dollar index held gains from the previous session while gold was subdued below $4,270 an ounce. Brent crude futures fell more than 1 percent toward $105 a barrel after a two-day rally.

U.S. stocks ended little changed overnight, after having slumped early in the session in the wake of surging oil prices, rising bond yields and hawkish Federal Reserve commentary.

The major averages climbed well off their lows after reports emerged that U.S. and Iranian negotiators are exploring a phased deal that would see Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iranian ports.

While the tech-heavy Nasdaq finished marginally higher, the S&P 500 edged down marginally and the Dow dipped 0.3 percent as the 10-year yield hovered near levels not seen since July 2007 on renewed concerns about inflation and interest rates.

The 30-year U.S. Treasury yield surged to the highest since 2004, and the benchmark 10-year yield rose to 5.20 percent as an expanded Treasury buyback operation fell short of market expectations.

European stocks ended lower for a second straight session on Thursday as investors weighed lingering tensions in the Middle East and awaited the outcome of U.S.-China talks.

The pan-European STOXX 600 dropped 0.6 percent. The German DAX declined 0.6 percent, France's CAC 40 fell half a percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 slipped 0.2 percent.