European equity markets were set to open higher on Wednesday, building on the previous session’s gains as investor sentiment remained resilient despite heightened uncertainty in the Middle East, which kept oil prices elevated and inflation and interest rate concerns in focus.
On the economic front, data showed UK inflation eased to 2.6% in June from 2.8% in May, coming in below forecasts of 2.7%, helped by lower petrol and diesel prices.
In corporate news, Spanish lender Banco Santander reported second-quarter net income that exceeded analyst expectations as it continued to attract millions of new customers.
Investors will also monitor earnings from Roche Holdings, Iberdrola, UniCredit, and TE Connectivity, among others.
In premarket trading, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 futures were both up about 0.2%.