European Markets Are Climbing Ahead Of Big Economic Data

Good morning! Most European markets are up ahead of GDP and inflation data out at 10 a.m. GMT.

Here's the scorecard:

France's CAC 40 is up 0.25%

Germany's DAX is up 0.16%

The UK's FTSE 100 is down 0.11%, the only loser.

Italy's FTSE MIB is up 0.23%

Spain's IBEX is up 0.20%

Asian markets are up. Japan's Nikkei closed up 0.56%, meaning that the index is now 9% higher than it was at the start of 2014. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed up 0.28%.

US futures are up slightly: the Dow is 21 points higher, and the S&P 500 is 1.75 points up.

There's big data out of Europe on Friday. At 10 a.m. GMT, inflation figures for October will be confirmed, with a 0.4% boost expected. GDP figures are also out at 10 a.m, with just a 0.1% increase expected for the third quarter.

US retail sales are the biggest release from the US today, at 1.30 p.m. GMT. Analysts are looking for a 0.2% boost for October, after an unexpected 0.3% fall in September.