LIVE MARKETS-Europe before the bell: Futures in the green

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EUROPE BEFORE THE BELL: FUTURES IN THE GREEN

European equity futures are in positive territory on Friday, with major bourses looking set to gain for a second straight week on expectations that the Fed will cut rates this month.

Euro STOXX 50 futures STXEc1 are up 0.2%. The index .STOXX50E has gained 0.9% this week already.

Futures on Britain's FTSE FFIc1, Germany's DAX FDXc1 and France's CAC FCEc2 are flat to up 0.4%.

"The Fed is cutting, and we are likely to get a new Fed Chair who would want to reduce rates further," writes Mohit Kumar, economist at Jefferies.

"From a macro perspective, this should create a positive environment for risky assets."

Citi analysts are also constructive on European stocks heading into next year. In a note on Friday, the U.S. investment bank said it expects the STOXX 600 .STOXX to rise to 640 in 2026, implying over 10% upside from current levels.

(Samuel Indyk)

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