All three major U.S. stock indexes gained some ground and the S&P 500 and the Dow were last in positive territory, with economically-sensitive small caps and transports lagging.
Profits for companies on the STOXX 600 are expected to jump 47.4pc in the first quarter versus beaten-down numbers a year earlier, according to Refinitiv IBES data.
Global sentiment took a hit after a selloff in Chinese technology shares on worries that they will be de-listed from US bourses, while the number of coronavirus cases in Germany saw the biggest increase since Jan. 9.