FX.co ★ European Stocks Poised for Higher Open

European equity markets were poised to open slightly higher on Friday, as investors reassessed the outlook for the artificial intelligence trade while keeping a close eye on persistent geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East. Regional indices have generally outperformed their US and Asian peers, helped by Europe’s comparatively lower weighting in technology stocks.

Attention will also turn to a new round of macroeconomic releases, including first-quarter GDP and employment data for the Eurozone, UK house price figures, French trade numbers, and Italian retail sales. The corporate earnings calendar is expected to be relatively subdued, with no major results due from European companies on Friday. In premarket trading, futures on both the EURO STOXX 50 and the STOXX Europe 600 were up around 0.1%.