European equity markets were poised to open higher on Friday as easing oil prices and a pause in the global bond selloff offered investors some respite. Crude prices retreated on reports that the United States and Iran were discussing a phased agreement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US blockade on Iranian ports. At the same time, global bond yields steadied after surging sharply over the previous two sessions.
Elsewhere, Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up their bilateral talks in Washington, with Trump characterizing the meeting as “great.” In Europe, investors will turn their attention to German consumer confidence, French employment figures, and Spanish GDP data, with no major corporate earnings scheduled for release. In premarket trading, futures on the Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 were up 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively.
