BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks are seen opening a tad higher on Friday as oil prices stabilized amid signs of easing supply concerns.
Brent crude prices fell more than 1 percent to $107.48 a barrel in Asian trade after Israel announced it would stop targeting Iran's energy infrastructure.
Also, leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada have signaled their readiness to support efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. is weighing lifting sanctions on some Iranian oil that's on the water, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network.
President Trump asserted that he had no plans to commit ground forces to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, which entered its 21st day.
Israel pounded Tehran with airstrikes today as Iranians marked Nowruz, or the Persian New Year. Elsewhere, missile alerts and loud explosions disrupted Eid morning in Dubai.
Iran warned on Thursday that it would carry out more severe retaliatory strikes if the U.S. and Israel attack its energy facilities again.
Media reports suggest that Iran's latest attack on Qatar has damaged facilities that produce about 17 percent of its liquefied natural gas export capacity.
U.S. equity futures ticked higher after Accenture raised its growth guidance, Micron beat second quarter earnings expectations and FedEx Corp. raised its full-year profit forecast.
Asian markets were broadly lower as China's central bank decided to keep its key interest rates unchanged.
Gold edged up by more than 1 percent to trade at $4,722 an ounce after falling for a seventh session to their lowest level in two months in the previous session.
The dollar index hovered near 99 after losing more than 1 percent in the previous session.
U.S. stocks ended modestly lower overnight, trimming earlier losses as an early spike in crude oil prices eased on comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the country had acted alone in hitting the South Pars field, and that U.S. President Trump had asked him to hold off on such attacks in the future.
He also said that Iran has no capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles after 20 days of war, adding his country would help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Economic reports painted a mixed picture, with sales of new U.S. single-family homes falling more than expected in January to the lowest level in nearly 3-1/2 years, while weekly jobless claims signaled a stable labor market.
The World Trade Organization has downgraded its outlook for global trade and economic growth as the Middle East conflict lifts energy risks. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has flagged rising risks to global inflation and economic output.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 both fell by 0.3 percent while the Dow dipped 0.4 percent.
European stocks tumbled on Thursday as both the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) held policy rates steady and warned of inflation risks.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 slumped 2.4 percent following attacks on Iranian and Qatari energy infrastructure.
The German DAX plunged 2.8 percent, France's CAC 40 lost 2 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 plummeted 2.4 percent.
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