European stocks were seen mixed on Wednesday, pausing after the previous session’s rally, with Nordic telecom operators Telenor and TeliaSonera in focus after agreeing to merge their Danish operations.
At 0727 GMT, futures for Euro STOXX 50, Germany’s DAX and for France’s CAC were down 0.1 per cent to up 0.2 percent.
Investors awaited UK and euro zone services PMI data, UK chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn statement, as well as US ADP jobs data.
Figures released earlier showed that China’s services sector grew slightly faster in November, although the data failed to soothe worries about the softening Chinese economy.
Oil & gas stocks
Shares in oil and gas firms will be in focus again as Brent climbed above $71 a barrel, helped in part by data showing a bigger-than-expected fall in crude stocks supported US oil prices.
Miners will be eyed as Chinese steel and iron ore futures dropped on Wednesday amid worries steel demand in the world’s top consumer may remain weak as construction activity slows during winter.