The Stories You Need to Know Before the Opening Bell on Thursday

Check out these 5 stories before you begin trading today

Author:: Edward Hardy
Publish date:: Jul 20, 2017 4:07 AM EDT

These are the stories you need to know before the opening bell:

1. European stocks open higher again Thursday as forecast-beating corporate earnings continue to power global equity markets ahead of what could be a game-changing meeting from the European Central Bank.

2. Unilever plc (UL) - Get Report posted solid earnings for the first six months of the year and said it sees margin improvement and accelerating growth into the second half of 2017.

3. The European single currency slipped modestly overnight and was quoted at 115.10 in early London dealing amid speculation that Draghi may take this final opportunity of the summer to signal the start a gradual withdraw from the Bank's quantitative easing program later this year.

4. Retail sales remain a key driver of Britain's economic growth and sentiment, and a stronger-than-expected reading, alongside stabilizing inflation, could suggest a steadying of the country's prospects as it begins its second round of exit negotiations with the European Union.

5. Markets are likely to take their cues from last night's record-setting session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit another set of all-time highs and the value of global stocks hit the highest level on record following solid gains in Asia.

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