European Shares Set To Open Lower After US Tech Selloff

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening lower on Wednesday as investors fret about overheated tech valuations and U.S. government intervention in Intel.

The U.S. government aims to take an equity stake in Intel, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday, adding the government would not get a voting stake with the investment or the rights to direct the company's operations.

On the geopolitical front, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Russia's Vladimir Putin could face a "rough situation" if he does not show a willingness to work toward a peace settlement with Kyiv.

He also urged Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to be ready to "show some flexibility" in negotiations.

In economic releases, traders look ahead to the release of the Fed minutes later in the day ahead of a key speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later this week.

Powell's speech on Friday morning at the Jackson Hole Symposium, an annual gathering of the world's central bankers, may indicate whether the Fed will cut its benchmark rate at the September policy meeting.

Retail sector earning reports also remain on investors' radar, with Lowe's, Target and Walmart all scheduled to report this week.

Asian markets were mixed, with benchmark indexes in South Korea and Japan falling more than 1 percent, tracking an overnight rout of U.S. technology giants.

Gold hovered near a three-week low as the dollar extended gains for a third consecutive session amid diminishing odds for a more aggressive policy easing by the Federal Reserve.

Treasury yields were flat while oil traded higher after falling in the previous session amid signs of progress in talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mostly lower as tech stocks faced selling pressure amid apprehensions that intense enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence could be overdone.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite tumbled 1.5 percent and the S&P 500 declined 0.6 percent while the Dow finished marginally higher as Home Depot affirmed its guidance and said demand is improving.

European stocks closed higher on Tuesday as investors cheered renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

The pan European STOXX 600 gained 0.7 percent. The German DAX rose half a percent, France's CAC 40 rallied 1.2 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 added 0.3 percent.