EUROPEAN MARKET NEWS

GLOBAL MARKET NEWS - EUROPEAN MARKET


     European stock index futures pointed to a slightly

higher open on Thursday, halting the previous session's sell-off, but gains
could be limited as concerns over Spain's ability to rescue its banking sector
continue to spook investors. 
    Data showing that German retail sales rose more than expected in April on a
monthly basis, up 0.6 percent in real terms, helped soothe worries about the
outlook for the euro zone economy, but may not be enough to eclipse mounting
concerns over Spain and Italy.  
    At 0622 GMT, futures for Euro STOXX 50, for  Germany's DAX 
and for France's CAC were up 0.2-0.4 percent. 
    The euro zone's blue chip Euro STOXX 50 index is on track to
post a monthly loss of 8.2 percent, its worst monthly performance since the
nosedive of last August, when it sank 13.8 percent.