European stocks are set to open fractionally higher Friday as tensions heighten between the U.S. and Iran following attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.
Back in Europe, U.K.-focused shares dipped Thursday as Brexiteer Boris Johnsonin the first round of voting for the Conservative party leadership, making him the favorite to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May. Johnson has said he will take the U.K. out of the European Union on October 31 with or without a deal in place.
Investors will also be monitoring a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate Thursday to slap sanctions on individuals and companies developing Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project. Meanwhile at this week's meeting in Luxembourg, European finance ministers are discussing new restructuring rules for euro zone sovereign bonds which could drive up yields of high-debt states from 2022, according to a draft report.
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