UKX FTSE 100 Index

U.S. stock futures inched up ahead of economic data and the release of minutes from the last Federal Reserve policy meeting.

S&P 500 futures gained 0.1% and futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.1%. Changes in futures don't necessarily predict moves after the markets open.

Europe stocks advanced Wednesday for a three-session winning streak. The Stoxx Europe 600 was little changed in morning trade as gains in communication services and information technology sectors were balanced by losses in the healthcare sector.

Informa added 2.4% and Ipsen climbed 2%.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 0.7%. Other stock in Europe also mostly climbed as France's CAC 40 added 0.2%, the U.K.'s FTSE 250 climbed 0.5% and Germany's DAX rose 0.1%.

The Swiss franc strengthened 0.1% against the U.S. dollar, with 1 franc buying $1.08. The euro was flat against the dollar, with 1 euro buying $1.19. The British pound depreciated 0.1% against the U.S. dollar, with 1 pound buying $1.38.

In commodities, Brent crude gained 0.2% to $62.89 a barrel. Gold slipped 0.1% to $1,740.50 a troy ounce.

The German 10-year bund yield was down to minus 0.333% and the yield on U.K. 10-year gilts declined to 0.780%. The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury slipped to 1.647% from 1.656%. Yields move in the opposite direction from prices.

In Asia, indexes were mixed as Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.1% after falling as much as 0.6% during the session, whereas Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.6% after gaining 0.6% earlier and China's benchmark Shanghai Composite was flat, falling 0.1% after losing 0.8%.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 07, 2021 04:03 ET (08:03 GMT)

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