BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks may open lower on Thursday, tracking weak cues from Wall Street and Asia as investors await the release of Purchasing Managers Indexes (PMIs) for the manufacturing and service sectors in Europe later in the day for directional cues.
Trading volumes are likely to remain thin ahead of the Good Friday and Easter holidays.
Investors also look for more clarity on the U.S.-China trade negotiations. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation that negotiators are aiming for a signing ceremony in late May or early June.
Meanwhile, Attorney General William Barr is set to hold a press conference on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race later in the day.
Gold hit its lowest level since end-December and the dollar fell against its major rivals, while oil dipped despite data showing a surprise drop in U.S. inventories.
Overnight, U.S. stocks ended slightly lower as investors digested a mixed batch of earnings news from prominent companies and positive economic data.
The Dow ended little changed, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 0.1 percent and the S&P 500 eased 0.2 percent.
European markets ended Wednesday's session mostly higher in reaction to strong data from the world's two largest economies.
The pan European Stoxx 600 inched up 0.1 percent. The German DAX rose 0.4 percent and France's CAC 40 index gained 0.6 percent, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished marginally higher.
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