European equity markets were headed for a lower open on Thursday
European equity markets were headed for a lower open on Thursday as investors digested the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes, where US policymakers backed keeping monetary policy restrictive until they see compelling evidence that inflation is trending lower toward the 2% target. Investors also looked ahead to a slew of eurozone economic reports, including construction PMI and producer price data, as well as German trade data and Italian inflation data. On Wednesday, European stocks finished higher as inflation data from France and Germany suggested inflation in Europe may have peaked. DAX and Stoxx 600 futures were down about 0.2% in early trade.