The Euro Sculpture at Willy-Brandt-Platz in the financial district of Frankfurt, Germany, on March 6, 2025.<\/p>\n
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images<\/p>\n
LONDON \u2014 European stocks were just above the flatline at the opening bell on Thursday as traders prepare for central bank decisions today. <\/p>\n
The pan-European Stoxx 600<\/a> was last a touch higher with bourses in mixed territory.<\/p>\n Markets are preparing for Europe’s central banks to announce their final interest-rate decisions of the year on Thursday with the European Central Bank, Bank of England, Riksbank and Norges Bank all concluding monetary policy meetings on Thursday. Only one of them is expected to change rates, however. <\/p>\n Shares of BP<\/a> will be watched closely today after the oil giant said it had appointed Woodside boss Meg O’Neill as its next CEO, replacing Murray Auchincloss after less than two years in the role.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Auchincloss will step down Thursday, with Carol Howle, BP’s executive vice president for supply, trading and shipping set to serve as interim CEO until O’Neill takes over the role on April 1. She will be BP’s fourth CEO in six years.<\/p>\n In the U.S. overnight, S&P 500 futures<\/a>\u00a0traded near the flatline as investors await November inflation data that could be a catalyst for the market. It will mark the first consumer inflation report issued to the public since the U.S. government shutdown ended last month. Economists polled by Dow Jones predict that headline inflation grew at a 3.1% pace on a year-over-year basis.<\/p>\n U.S. stocks are rebounding from a rough trading session Wednesday, pressured by sharp losses in leading semiconductor names tied to the artificial intelligence trade. <\/p>\n Artificial intelligence-related stocks dragged indexes after the Financial Times reported that\u00a0Oracle’s<\/a>\u00a0primary investor, Blue Owl Capital, pulled out from funding one of its data center projects. Shares of the AI stock tumbled 5.4%.<\/p>\n Concerns about the high capital costs behind massive data center deals, such as Oracle’s, sent jitters throughout the market and led several chipmakers to fall yesterday with\u00a0Broadcom<\/a>\u00a0losing 4.5%, while shares of\u00a0Nvidia<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Advanced Micro Devices<\/a>\u00a0also fell.<\/p>\n