Stocks in Europe are set to open mixed Thursday morning – the last trading day this week for most European markets ahead of the Easter break. The FTSE 100 is seen down by 12 points at 7,011; the German DAX is expected to start higher by 24 points at 23,850 and the CAC in Paris is seen up by 15 points at 5,129; according to IG. In Asia, stocks traded mixed following news that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The mixed trade came after weakness on Wall Street where a technology stock sell-off led to sharp losses for the sector, with Amazon and Netflix down by more than 4 percent. The sector will remain on the radar for investors this Thursday. Meanwhile, in Europe, Japanese group SoftBank is looking at buying a 25 percent stake in reinsurer Swiss Re, Reuters reported. And Deutsche Bank Chief John Cryan sent a letter to its employees vowing full commitment to the bank after reports that he could soon be sacked. In terms of data, the calendar is thin. There will be unemployment numbers out in Germany at 07.55 a.m. London time and growth figures out in the U.K. at 8.30 a.m. London time. Thursday also marks a year since U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the processes to leave the European Union (EU). In 365 days, the U.K. will no longer be a full member of the EU though there will be a transition period of about 21 months. Source: CNBC
