European equity markets were poised to open lower on Friday, as ongoing worries about the scale of artificial intelligence investment and uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz dampened global risk appetite. Oil prices advanced for a second consecutive session amid renewed hostilities in the waterway, while the proposed Iran–Oman framework for managing traffic through Hormuz appeared more restrictive than investors had expected.
In Europe, market participants will scrutinize trade data from Germany and France, France’s unemployment figures, and UK house price statistics. On the corporate side, earnings are scheduled from Allianz, Munich Re, Diageo, Daimler Truck, Aurubis and others. In premarket trading, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 futures were both down by about 0.1%.
