European markets set to open lower ahead of central bank bonanza

LONDON — European stocks are expected to unfastened successful antagonistic territory connected Thursday arsenic traders hole for cardinal slope decisions today.

The U.K.'s FTSE scale is seen a interaction lower, Germany's DAX 0.3% lower, France's CAC 40 down 0.2% and Italy's FTSE MIB 0.14% lower, according to information from IG.

Markets are preparing for Europe's cardinal banks to denote their last interest-rate decisions of the twelvemonth connected Thursday with the European Central Bank, Bank of England, Riksbank and Norges Bank each concluding monetary argumentation meetings connected Thursday. Only 1 of them is expected to alteration rates, however.

Shares of BP volition beryllium watched intimately contiguous aft the lipid elephantine said it had appointed Woodside brag Meg O'Neill arsenic its adjacent CEO, replacing Murray Auchincloss aft little than 2 years successful the role. 

Auchincloss volition measurement down Thursday, with Carol Howle, BP's enforcement vice president for supply, trading and shipping acceptable to service arsenic interim CEO until O'Neill takes implicit the relation connected April 1. She volition beryllium BP's 4th CEO successful six years.

In the U.S. overnight, S&P 500 futures traded adjacent the flatline arsenic investors await November ostentation information that could beryllium a catalyst for the market. It volition people the archetypal user ostentation study issued to the nationalist since the U.S. authorities shutdown ended past month. Economists polled by Dow Jones foretell that header ostentation grew astatine a 3.1% gait connected a year-over-year basis.

U.S. stocks are rebounding from a unsmooth trading league Wednesday, pressured by crisp losses successful starring semiconductor names tied to the artificial quality trade.

Artificial intelligence-related stocks dragged indexes aft the Financial Times reported that Oracle's primary investor, Blue Owl Capital, pulled retired from backing 1 of its information halfway projects. Shares of the AI banal tumbled 5.4%.

Concerns astir the precocious superior costs down monolithic information halfway deals, specified arsenic Oracle's, sent jitters passim the marketplace and led respective chipmakers to autumn yesterday with Broadcom losing 4.5%, portion shares of Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices also fell.

Wall Street's tech selloff rippled done Asia-Pacific markets, sending stocks little overnight.

— CNBC's Mike Considine and Pia Singh contributed to this marketplace report.