October 19, 2020

(Bloomberg) -- European equities ended lower, erasing gains earlier in the session, as investors focused on the start of the jam-packed earnings season.The Stoxx Europe 600 index was down 0.3% at the close in London, led by health care, chemicals and p...

Wall Street faces a key five-day stretch of 91 S&P; 500 earnings, make-or-break stimulus talks in Washington, a speech from Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the specter of rising coronavirus infection rates in major economies around the world.

Major U.S. futures are up on Monday on hopes of a stimulus before the presidential election. Dow Jones futures are trading 0.72% higher and the S&P500 futures are up 0.79% at press time. All European markets have advanced on Monday, taking cues for the economic recovery in Asia and the likelihood of Brexit trade talks during the week.Euro Stoxx 50 index is trading 0.64% higher at press time. Investors will be watching Europe's construction output data for August scheduled to release Monday, along with speeches by various members of the European Central Bank.London's FTSE 100 index is trading 0.12% higher, led by gains in aerospace and bank stocks, partially offset by a dip in travel and leisure names. Germany's DAX is has gained 0.23% in Monday's early trade, led by gains in major bank shares. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann is scheduled to speak late Monday.France's CAC 40 index is trading 0.82% higher at publication time, led by gains in consumer, energy, and industrial stocks. There are no major economic events scheduled for Monday.Spain's IBEX index is 0.24% higher, driven by consumer and energy shares. There are no major economic events scheduled for Monday.Forex Trading: U.S. Dollar Index futures have declined 0.17% to 93.517, giving up gains in early trade. The dollar has weakened 0.16% against the Euro to $1.1738 and 0.6% against the Sterling to $1.2995.ETFs to watch Thursday: Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (NYSE: VGK) and SPDR Euro Stoxx 50 ETF (NYSE: FEZ), iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (NYSE: EWU), iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF (NYSE: EZU) See more from Benzinga * Options Trades For This Crazy Market: Get Benzinga Options to Follow High-Conviction Trade Ideas * European Indices See Bloodbath Over Fading US Stimulus Hopes * European Markets Shrug Wall Street And Asia Decline As Brexit Deadline Nears(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Britain's biggest companies think it will take longer for demand to return to pre-pandemic levels than they did a few months ago, another sign of how the outlook for the country's economy is worsening, a survey showed on Monday. Accountants Deloitte s...