* European shares open little changed
* STOXX 600 up 0.1%, FTSE 100 up 0.5%
* Tech leads losers, tracking U.S. peers
* Brexit, U.S. stimulus talks stall
* Asian equities eased from record highs
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OPENING SNAPSHOT: WEAK TECH CAPS GAINS (0824 GMT)
European shares are off to a muted start with the tech
sector standing out as the biggest loser and capping gains for
the STOXX 600 following a hit to U.S. peers overnight.
The pan-European index was up less than 0.1% in
early deals as a new deadline in Brexit talks and no progress in
U.S. stimulus discussions suggested some caution, hours before
an ECB meeting which is widely expected to clear more stimulus.
Ocado's second earnings upgrade in two months
failed to impress with shares in the UK online supermarket down
4.6%. German meal-kit delivery firm Hellofresh however
rose to the top of the STOXX, up 5%, after it upped its outlook.
A broker downgrade hit Securitas, down 4%.
(Danilo Masoni)
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STOCK MARKET RALLY HITS PAUSE (0757 GMT)
Knife-edge Brexit talks dragging on (new deadline: Sunday)
and deadlocked U.S. discussions over a coronavirus aid package
are no good premise for stock market bulls. European and U.S.
equity futures are in the red, following pullbacks in Asia.
Some of that is also down to the hit U.S. tech suffered on
Wednesday, when Facebook was hit by lawsuits which could force
it to sell prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram. EV maker Tesla,
set to join the S&P 500 next week, also came under pressure
after JPMorgan's warning the firm was "dramatically" overvalued.
On the bright side, the European Central Bank is expected to
announce an enhanced and extended pandemic stimulus programme,
though that's already baked into markets. And a two-day EU
summit kicks off and will likely unblock a stalled 1.8
trillion-euro spending package.
Meanwhile IPO frenzy continues. Food delivery firm DoorDash
rose over 80% in its debut, valuing it at $71.3 billion, boding
well for home rental startup Airbnb, which makes its own
highly-anticipated market debut on Thursday. The year has
generally been a bonanza for IPOs.
(Danilo Masoni)
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MORNING CALL: EUROPE SEEN SLIGHTLY LOWER (0627 GMT)
European shares are set to open a touch lower this morning
amid no progress in Brexit and U.S. fiscal stimulus talks.
After surging back to February highs in the previous
session, EuroSTOXX50 futures are now a touch in the red, down
0.25%, while FTSE 100 futures are off 0.1%.
Over in Asia, shares fell from a record high, while Wall
Street ended lower overnight with a drop in Facebook shares
providing an additional drag.
(Danilo Masoni)
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