BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks are likely to open lower on Thursday after U.S. markets fell in thin trading overnight to snap a five-session winning streak.
The downside, however, may remain limited on bets that major central banks may cut interest rates in view of increased global risks.
Asian stocks remain broadly higher after the Reserve Bank of Australia tempered a long-standing tightening bias and refrained from committing to the direction of the next move in policy.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand reviews its monetary policy next week and markets are wagering it will take a dovish stance.
Trading activity remains thin as markets in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are closed for Lunar New Year.
Meanwhile, ahead of a fresh round of negotiations in Beijing next week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said that there was progress in U.S.-China trade talks, but there were no plans for President Donald Trump to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
U.S. stocks fell in thin trading overnight, with disappointing forecasts from videogame makers and President Trump's tough talk on immigration weighing on markets.
The Dow slipped 0.1 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.4 percent and the S&P 500 shed 0.2 percent.
European markets struggled to find direction on Wednesday as investors reacted to the latest batch of quarterly earnings reports and weak economic data from Germany.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended up 0.2 percent. The German DAX declined 0.4 percent, while France's CAC 40 index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 slipped around 0.1 percent.
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