BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks are seen opening on a mixed note Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will impose a 100 percent tariff on imports of semiconductors and chips, with exemptions for companies relocating production to the U.S.
The announcement came after Apple unveiled plans to spend an additional $100 billion on U.S. companies and suppliers over the next four years on top of a $500 billion announcement made in February.
Meanwhile, Trump said envoy Witkoff's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was 'highly productive' and he plans to meet Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as soon as next week in order to end the war.
In economic releases, trading later in the day may be impacted by reaction to the release of U.S. reports on weekly jobless claims, unit labor costs and productivity for the second quarter.
The Bank of England announces its monetary policy decision, with a quarter-point reduction expected.
On the earnings front, Eli Lilly, Warner Bros. Discovery, Block and Pinterest are scheduled to unveil their quarterly earnings results later today.
Asian markets were mostly higher as Trump's higher tariffs on trading partners go into effect.
China's exports beat forecasts in July as manufacturers capitalized on a temporary tariff truce with the U.S. to ship goods before an impending deadline.
The truce ends next week, with Trump indicating that China could face secondary sanctions or additional tariffs for buying Russian oil.
'It may happen ... I can't tell you yet,' Trump told reporters. 'We did it with India. We're doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China.'
The dollar held losses on Fed easing bets and gold ticked higher while oil rebounded after a five-day drop on supply concerns.
Overnight, U.S. stocks rose notably as investors reacted to a slew of earnings, President Trump's tariff threat on pharma and chips, and Apple's investment pledge.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.2 percent, the S&P 500 added 0.7 percent and the Dow inched up 0.2 percent.
European stocks closed mostly higher on Wednesday, with earnings, tariffs and Fed rate cut hopes in focus.
The pan European STOXX 600 finished marginally lower, giving up early gains. The German DAX rose 0.3 percent, while France's CAC 40 and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 both edged up by 0.2 percent.
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