Chinese shares fell 1% in overnight trading as Japanese and Indian markets were flat with rise 0.3% each.
European markets remain flat as investors wait for Mario Draghi speech this afternoon on EU Central bank policy.
Highlights from Europe for today include:
- The Bank of England left its benchmark lending rate at 0.5%.
- German factory orders unexpectedly fall 1.9% in January despite economist estimates of a rise of 0.5%.
- Not much good news for the French either as unemployment rose to a 13-year record of 10.6% in Q4.