European markets set for cautious open as Russia-Ukraine crisis develops
European markets are set for a cautious open on Friday, with global sentiment hanging in the balance as the Ukraine-Russia crisis reaches a pivotal moment.
Britain’s FTSE 100 is seen around 6 points higher at 7,543, Germany’s DAX is set to add around 12 points to 15,280 and France’s CAC 40 is expected to gain around 2 points to 6,949, according to IG data.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an urgent appeal against a Russian invasion, after Western leaders rubbished the Kremlin’s claims of a drawback of troops and Ukraine accused pro-Russian separatists of shelling a civilian village.
Asia-Pacific shares mostly slid overnight as tensions in eastern Europe continued to rattle investors, but selling pressure eased on hopes that a meeting between Blinken and Sergey Lavrov next week may yield a diplomatic solution to the standoff.
U.S. stock futures pointed higher in early premarket trade after the Dow posted its worst day of 2022 during regular trading hours on Thursday, falling more than 600 points.
Corporate earnings in Europe on Friday came from Allianz, NatWest and Sika, among others.
