European equity markets were poised for a largely unchanged open on Friday, following their sharpest single-day decline in more than two weeks in the previous session, as investors continued to weigh elevated oil prices and newly announced US tariffs. Brent crude remained above $100 a barrel, with escalating tensions in the Middle East intensifying concerns about more severe supply disruptions.
At the same time, markets assessed fresh US tariffs of 10%–12.5% on imports from most major trading partners, further clouding the global trade outlook. Technology shares were expected to stay under pressure, mirroring the AI-driven selloff seen on Wall Street and across Asian markets.
Investor focus now turns to a series of key data releases, including UK retail sales, Germany’s GfK consumer confidence survey, and flash PMI readings across the euro area, all of which will be scrutinized for signals on the region’s economic momentum. In premarket trading, futures on the Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 were broadly flat.
