London stocks are expected to open higher on Wednesday, with investor attention turning to UK consumer and producer inflation data.
Futures point to the FTSE 100 opening up 30 points, or 0.3%. The index closed Tuesday up 0.8% at a record 10,556.17.
Sterling edged higher to USD1.3558 early Wednesday from USD1.3531 at the London close. The euro also firmed to USD1.1844, while the dollar eased slightly against the yen to JPY153.44.
Wall Street stocks were little changed in the first session of the week following Monday’s bank holiday, as investors looked ahead to the release of minutes from January’s Federal Reserve meeting.
The S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite all edged up around 0.1%.
Asian markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.0%, while markets in China and Hong Kong remained closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. Australia’s ASX 200 added 0.5%.
In commodities, gold climbed to USD4,934.97 an ounce from USD4,882.00, while Brent crude rose to USD67.63 a barrel from USD67.17.
Geopolitically, Iran’s foreign minister said recent talks with the US were more constructive, with agreement on guiding principles, though US Vice President JD Vance noted Tehran has not accepted all of President Trump’s “red lines”.
