10 things you need to know before European markets open
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said last night after talks with top EU officials that a deal with creditors is "within sight" and that Athens will make a payment due to the IMF on Friday. The leftist-led Greek government still rejects benefit cuts and tax rises, which its EU and IMF creditors want before they release fresh loans to avert a bankruptcy.
Satellite TV provider Dish Network is reportedly in talks to merge with mobile phone provider T-Mobile US in another huge telecoms deal. The Wall Street Journal says the two sides are in agreement about what the combined company would look like, but a purchase price and the mix of cash and stock that would be used to pay for a deal remain unresolved.
The OPEC cartel, which meets on Friday, appears to have softened its approach to US shale oil. OPEC Secretary-General Abdullah El-Badri told delegates at a seminar in Vienna: "Shale oil is a phenomenon that will stay with us. We have to live together and find a balance."
Shanghai's Composite Index is falling in late trade. The index is currently down over 5%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is off around 1.1% and the Nikkei is pretty much flat, down 0.04%.
No change is expected from the Bank of England on interest rates when it makes its announcement at noon (8 a.m. EST). It will mark the 75th month in a row that the BoE has held the rate at 0.5%.
Key employment data is due from the US today in the form of initial jobless claims at 1.30 p.m. (9.30 a.m. EST). The number of first-time claimants for state unemployment insurance is expected to come in at 279,000, down from 282,000 last month.
Japanese online retailer Rakuten's stock slid 6% last night after it announced plans to raise $1.5 billion (£980 million) through new share issues to repay debt. The highly acquisitive company, which bought mobile messaging company Viber and US rebate site operator Ebates last year, said it wants to improve its financial flexibility.
Alibaba Pictures, the film and entertainment unit of China's largest ecommerce company, plans to raise $1.6 billion (£1 billion) in a share offering to finance media-related acquisitions. Shares in the company, majority owned by Alibaba Group, have nearly doubled over the past year.
Activist US hedge fund Elliott Associates is pushing Samsung to raise its offer price for a subsidiary it is buying as part of group consolidation. The Wall Street Journal reports that Elliott has bought a 7.12% stake in Samsung C&T, which comprises the group's engineering, construction and investment businesses.
Chuck Blazer - the eccentric ex-FIFA official who is widely believed to be an FBI informant - admitted to facilitating or accepting bribes for two different World Cups in a 2013 hearing with federal prosecutors. Blazer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, wire-fraud conspiracy, money-laundering conspiracy, income-tax evasion, and failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Account. The admissions related to the 1998 and 2010 World Cups.