European markets opened flat

European markets are set for a flat open Friday as investors monitor the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and the rapidly approaching deadline for Brexit talks.

Britain’s FTSE 100 is seen roughly unchanged at 6,600, Germany’s DAX is expected to slip by around 31 points to 12,265 and France’s CAC 40 is set to slide by around 13 points to 5,537, according to IG data.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday that there was now a “strong possibility” of the U.K. departing the EU orbit without a free trade agreement at the end of the month, with a deadline to extend talks falling on Sunday and the two sides remaining at odds on key issues.

With the U.K. already beginning to deploy the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, advisors to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday endorsed the shot for emergency use stateside, where cases and deaths have continued to spiral.

European markets look set for a mixed handover from Asia-Pacific, where investors continue to monitor ailing negotiations over fiscal stimulus in the U.S.

Avadoot Shah

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