BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks may open lower on Thursday, with technology shares likely to be in focus after Apple Inc. lowered its first-quarter revenue outlook, citing weak demand for iPhones in China.
Meanwhile, political stalemate continues in the U.S. over funding for President Donald Trump's controversial border wall.
Democrats are set to take control of the House today and intend to move forward with plans to reopen the government without providing funding for the wall, although the White House has called the plan a 'non-starter.'
In remarks to reporters ahead of the meeting, Trump indicated the partial government shutdown will continue for 'as long as it takes,' standing by his demand for $5 billion for the border wall.
Asian stock markets are trading mixed and safe-haven assets such as gold and the yen gained ground on global growth worries while U.S. crude oil futures for February fell over 2 percent after rising 2.5 percent on Wednesday to hit a two-week high on hopes that OPEC and its allies will start reducing output from this month.
The U.S. economic calendar appears to be filled with a deluge of economic releases today, with reports on private sector employment, weekly jobless claims and manufacturing activity likely to sway market sentiment.
Overnight, U.S. stocks recovered early losses to finish modestly higher on the first trading day of 2019. The Dow and the S&P 500 inched up around 0.1 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added half a percent.
European markets ended Wednesday's session on a mixed note as investors digested weak Chinese data.
The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index slipped 0.1 percent. The German DAX and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively, while France's CAC 40 index slid 0.9 percent.
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