LIVE MARKETS-Before the bell: futures point to steady start

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BEFORE THE BELL: FUTURES POINT TO STEADY START

European shares were set to open broadly unchanged on Tuesday as investors awaited US-China trade talks in London to resume, hopeful that these discussions could lead to improved ties between the two superpowers.

EuroSTOXX50, DAX and FTSE futures traded between a 0.1% fall and a gain of 0.2%, steadying around recent highs following a rally last month. Wall Street contracts were also little moved.

Corporate news was thin in Europe, while some parts of the region returned from a long weekend. On Monday, markets in Switzerland and Denmark were shut.

Vaccine makers such as AstraZeneca AZN.L, GSK GSK.L and Sanofi SASY.PA were called lower as traders bet on longer approval times after the U.S. health secretary fired all 17 members of a vaccine advisory committee.

Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO was also in focus after the FT reported activist hedge fund Parvus is building a stake in the group amid concerns that the drugmaker has lost its first-mover advantage in the weight-loss drug market.

Elsewhere, a bullish note from JP Morgan on Aberdeen Group ABDN.L could help shares in the British asset management firm.

(Danilo Masoni)

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