European equity markets were set for a weaker start on Friday as investors grew cautious ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s highly anticipated speech at the Jackson Hole symposium.
Traders are looking for clarity on the path of US interest rates amid concerns that Powell may push back against expectations for a near-term rate cut.
In Europe, attention will turn to final second-quarter GDP data from Germany and August business confidence figures from France, which could provide further insight into the region’s economic momentum.
No major corporate earnings are scheduled for release on Friday.
In premarket trade, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 futures were both down about 0.1%.