BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks look set to open on a cautious note Wednesday as investors fret about the prospect of a so-called hard Brexit.
The British pound fell against all of its major peers, after having fallen by as much as 1.5 percent on Tuesday to register its largest single-day fall this year on fears of a hard Brexit.
Asian markets are trading mixed after climbing for five straight sessions. Growth worries resurfaced after Japanese exports dropped for a 12th straight month, raising the risk of a contraction in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, economists expect no action from the Bank of Japan at the end of a two-day policy meeting ending on Thursday.
Closer home, business confidence data from Germany and consumer price numbers from the U.K. are due later in the session, headlining a busy day for the European economic news.
Germany's ifo business sentiment index is expected to rise to 95.5 in December from 95.0 in November.
Gold traded flat while oil prices eased from three-month highs on industry data showing a huge surprise crude oil inventory build.
U.S. stocks extended their winning streak to reach fresh record closing highs overnight as investors cheered encouraging data on home construction, industrial production and job openings.
The S&P 500 inched up marginally to log its fifth gain in a row while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite index rose around 0.1 percent.
European markets ended Tuesday's session mostly lower after reports that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is taking a hard line on Britain's transition period for leaving the European Union.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 shed 0.7 percent. The German DAX dropped 0.9 percent and France's CAC 40 index eased 0.4 percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged up 0.1 percent.
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