BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks may open on a cautious note Thursday after reports emerged that the United States and China might delay a meeting to formalize signing of 'Phase 1' of their trade deal until December.
Asian shares traded mixed in cautious trade as investors await concrete progress on U.S.-China trade talks.
Gold remains little changed and the dollar inched lower against the yen, while oil held losses after snapping a three-day winning streak on Wednesday as data from Energy Information Administration showed a much larger than expected increase in crude inventories in the week ended November 1.
The interest rate announcement and monetary policy report are due from the Bank of England later today, headlining a busy day for the European economic news.
The BoE is widely expected to hold its benchmark bank rate at 0.75 percent and the asset purchase plan at GBP 435 billion.
The announcement is due at 7.00 am ET. The bank will also publish its growth and inflation projections in the monetary policy report.
Germany's industrial production data is due, with economists expecting output to drop 0.3 percent sequentially in September, following a 0.6 percent fall in August.
The International Monetary Fund said there are signs that slowdown in European trade and manufacturing is spreading into the rest of the economy.
According to the latest Regional Economic Outlook for Europe, the region is set to grow at the slowest pace in six years in 2019.
U.S. stocks ended narrowly mixed overnight as doubts resurfaced about the prospects for a formal U.S.-China trade deal.
After the closing bell, mobile-phone chip giant Qualcomm Inc. signaled a strong year ahead for 5G phone sales, while online travel site Expedia's quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations.
European markets rose slightly on Wednesday after German data showed factory orders rising in September following two consecutive monthly declines.
The pan European Stoxx 600 gained 0.2 percent. The German DAX inched up 0.2 percent, France's CAC 40 index added 0.3 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged up 0.1 percent.
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