European stock markets were up during midday trading on Thursday, ahead of the release of key U.S. data on purchase orders for durable goods and weekly unemployment claims.
France’s CAC 40 was up 0.73%; Germany's DAX rose 0.65%; the EURO STOXX 50 was up 1.12%; and Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 0.68%.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. markets was mixed as Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a rise of 0.49%, S&P 500 futures pointed to an increase of 0.61% and Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a decline of 0.07%.