Economic calendar: US jobless claims, Kansas City Fed index and Canadian retail sales in market focus

• Markets in Europe open higher despite a mixed session in Asia. DAX gains nearly 0.2%
• Wall Street index contracts lose minimally; U.S. benefit claims and Kansas Fed regional index in macro spotlight; retail sales from Canada
• Investors await results from General Electric and American Airlines
• Decisions by the Bank of Norway and the Central Bank of Turkey (CBRT).

Today's equity market sentiment is moderately positive, with indexes showing appetite for further gains despite weak sentiment in China, where the Hang Seng retreated 0.4% despite upbeat comments from regulators, and the mainland CSI Index gave back much of the gains from the early part of the session, closing just 0.18% higher.

Economic calendar

07:30 AM GMT - Hungary, wage growth for December: 11.9% y/y vs. 12.9% previously

9 AM GMT - Norway, Bank of Norway interest rate decision

9 AM GMT - Poland, retail sales (December): expected 4.4% y/y vs. 3.4% previously

11 AM GMT - Turkey, CBRT decision: expected 45% vs 47.5% previously

1:30 PM GMT - U.S., U.S. jobless claims: expected 219k vs. 217k previously

1:30 PM GMT - Canada, retail sales for November: expected 0.1% m/m vs 0.6% m/m previously (base expectation 0% vs 0.1% previously)

4 PM GMT - Donald Trump's speech

3:30 PM GMT - US, change in gas inventories according to EIA: expected -250 bcf v -258 bcf previously

3:30 PM GMT - USA, Kansas City regional Fed index: expected -8 vs -5 previously

5 PM GMT - US, change in crude oil inventories by EIA:expected -1.6 million barrels vs 1.9 million barrels previously

Company results 

American Airlines, General Electric (before the US session), Texas Instruments (after the US session)

Speeches by central bankers

10:30 AM GMT - Escriva Belmonte (ECB, Bank of Spain)