European stock futures are mixed, while retail sales in the United Kingdom are disappointing.
European stock futures are mixed, while retail sales in the United Kingdom are disappointing.
European stock markets are poised to open neutral on Friday, concluding the week on a cautious tone, as the Ukraine situation continues and oil prices remain high.
At 3:10 a.m. ET (0710 GMT), the DAX futures contract in Germany was down 0.2 percent, while the FTSE 100 futures contract in the UK was down 0.1 percent and the CAC 40 futures in France were up 0.3 percent.
According to UN estimates, the crisis in Ukraine, which began on February 24 when Russia launched an invasion, has already killed thousands of people and driven over 3.6 million people away.
Following talks in Brussels on Thursday, Western officials denounced Moscow's invasion as barbaric, with the US warning that if his campaign fails, Russian President Vladimir Putin may resort to biological or chemical weapons.
Examining the European financial markets There was a drop in Asia overnight, with IT businesses in Hong Kong particularly hard hit on new fears that many will be forced to delist in the US.
Back in Europe, British retail sales declined 0.3 percent month over month in February, but grew 7.0 percent year over year, as the country's vital retail sector battled to rebound from COVID-inspired restrictions late last year.
The release of the German Ifo business climate index for March, which is expected later in the day, will be important as a barometer of the health of the Eurozone's largest economy.
On Friday, oil prices remained high, with traders keeping a tight eye on negotiations between European Union members about a potential oil embargo in retribution for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The EU, unlike the US, has not banned Russian oil imports into the bloc, but if the fight continues, there will be a growing desire to use Russian energy supplies as a weapon.
In other developments, the United States and its allies are said to be considering a coordinated oil release from storage.
U.S. crude futures were up 0.1 percent to $112.36 a barrel at 3:10 a.m. ET, while the Brent contract was up 0.1 percent to $119.16 per barrel. Brent and WTI were on course to post their first weekly gains in three weeks, with Brent up over 10% and WTI up about 7%.
Gold futures also fell 0.3 percent to $1,955.80 per ounce, while the EUR/USD increased 0.3 percent to 1.1027.
