European Shares Set To Drift Lower As China Optimism Fades

(RTTNews) - European stocks may drift lower at open on Friday after Chinese leaders wrapped up a two-day planning meeting in Beijing without giving details on stimulus.

The readout from the high-level economic policy meeting contained pledges towards a more-proactive approach and higher debt relative to GDP but left investors guessing on the specifics of a fiscal stimulus.

Analysts said investors may have to wait until March for more clarity on the budget and spending measures aimed at revitalizing the Chinese economy.

Asian stocks were broadly lower, with Chinese, Hong Kong and Japanese markets leading regional losses.

The dollar hovered near a 2- 1/2-week high against major peers as focus shifted to next week's Federal Reserve meeting.

The U.S. central bank is expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Dec. 18, but there is much uncertainty regarding outlook for 2025.

Gold edged up slightly in Asian trade and was up nearly 2 percent so far this week.

Oil prices held steady and headed for their first weekly rise since the end of November as investors weigh the prospect for tighter U.S. sanctions against Iran and Russia.

U.S. stocks ended lower overnight after the previous session's big gains. The Dow slid half a percent to close lower for the sixth consecutive session as data showed producer prices increased by the most in five months in November and weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rose last week.

The annual rate of producer price growth accelerated to 3.0 percent in November from an upwardly revised 2.6 percent in October, fueling concerns about how quickly the central bank will cut rates early next year.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 0.7 percent and the S&P 500 gave up half a percent.

European stocks turned in a mixed performance on Thursday after the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Swiss National Bank (SNB) both reduced their key interest rates.

The pan European STOXX 600 slipped 0.1 percent. France's CAC 40 finished marginally lower while the German DAX and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 both inched up by 0.1 percent.