BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks look set to open lower on Thursday as the nationwide death toll from China's viral epidemic leapt to 170 and the World Health Organization said it would reconvene today to decide whether the rapid spread of the virus now constitutes a global emergency.
A slew of mixed company results from prominent U.S. companies may also weigh on markets.
After Wednesday's closing bell, Facebook reported rising costs and expenses and said it had agreed to pay $550 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its use of facial recognition technology in Illinois.
However, Microsoft Corp and Tesla posted profit growth and production forecasts above expectations.
Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest memory chip maker, reported a slump in fourth-quarter net profits, but forecast a turnaround in chip prices this quarter.
Asian stocks and currencies fell after 38 more deaths were reported in China on Wednesday due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The number of infected patients rose to 7,711 as more cases were reported around the world.
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note dropped to its lowest closing level in over three months after the Fed spoke about concerns around consistently low inflation. Oil prices fell, while gold extended overnight gains.
The Bank of England is set to announce its interest rate decision later in the session, headlining a hectic day for the European economic news.
The central bank is widely expected to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.75 percent and the quantitative easing at GBP 435 billion at the final meeting of Mark Carney as BoE Governor.
Other major economic reports due today are unemployment and flash inflation from Germany, and economic confidence and unemployment figures from euro area.
Across the Atlantic, trading may be impacted by reaction to the Commerce Department's preliminary reading on fourth quarter GDP.
U.S. stocks fluctuated before ending narrowly mixed overnight, showing little reaction to the Fed's policy statement, upbeat earnings results from the likes of Apple, Boeing and General Electric and news that Google is temporarily shutting down all its offices in China due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Fed held rates steady as expected while offering no new guidance on its balance sheet, but chairman Jerome Powell said there's uncertainty about the outlook for the global economy.
European markets brushed off concerns about the spread of the China coronavirus to close higher on Wednesday.
The pan European Stoxx 600 gained 0.4 percent. The German DAX edged up 0.2 percent and France's CAC 40 index rose half a percent, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished marginally higher.
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