Asia
Markets in Asia-Pacific drifted lower on Thursday despite a report saying that the US and China are preparing to sign off a trade deal as early as late May.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost around 0.5% on the day ahead of an extended break for Easter that is not observed in mainland China.
Japan’s Nikkei headed back towards the 22,000 points level.
Europe
Markets in Europe maintained the sluggish feel in evidence all this week, with minor moves on display in either direction: France is up 0.1%, while Germany is down 0.1%.
The UK’s FTSE 100 edged back further away from 7,500 points, a level it has struggled to overcome in recent week – this watermark was last reached in October 2018 before the global sell-off.
North America
US retail sales are in view on Thursday ahead of Friday’s bank holiday. Futures suggest a dip at the open on Wall Street, following on from Wednesday's weakness.
Pinterest provides this week’s IPO drama, with the social network floating at $19 per share or a value of $10 billion. For context, Uber’s flotation is expected to value the company at $100 billion.
Philip Morris (PM) and Honeywell (HON) report earnings before the market opens.