European markets head for broadly higher open as earnings deluge continues

Futures data from IG suggest a broadly positive open for European indexes, with London's FTSE 100 seen opening 0.1% higher, France's CAC 40 unchanged, Germany's DAX up 0.2%, and Italy's FTSE MIB 0.3% higher.

European markets closed in mixed territory Wednesday, with sectors diverging as second-quarter earnings season ramped up.

There will be more earnings today, with Unilever, Shell, Anheuser-Busch Inbev, London Stock Exchange Group, BMW, Anglo American, SocGen, Renault, AF-KLM, Euronext, Sanofi, Credit Agricole and ArcelorMittal among the heavyweight regional companies that are due to report.

On the data front, French, German and Italian inflation data is due, as are the latest German and EU unemployment figures.