European markets likely to open down after series of central bank announcements.
European markets were set to open lower on Friday as investors evaluated the effects of this week's central bank rate decisions on the global economy.
The FTSE 100 in the U.K. opened 41 points lower at 8,291, while the DAX in Germany dropped 59 points to 18,939. The CAC in France fell 2 points to 7,604, and the FTSE MIB in Italy plummeted 124 points to 33,913, according to IG data.
On Thursday, the regional Stoxx 600 finished higher, despite the U.S. Federal Reserve's bumper rate cut the previous day, while the Bank of England and Norges Bank both kept their rates unchanged.
The momentum of Asia-Pacific markets continued from Wall Street and increased during Friday's session, as both the Bank of Japan and the People's Bank of China maintained their rates.
After Thursday's rally, the 30-stock average closed at a new record, but U.S. futures remained unchanged.
In August, U.K. retail sales increased by 1% more than anticipated, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics.
No corporate earnings will be reported, but European consumer confidence data will be released later in the session.
Markets
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