Good morning. The FTSE 100 is poised to open around 23 points higher, taking its cue from a mostly buoyant session across Asia.
Regional technology shares led the way, buoyed by fading expectations of an imminent Federal Reserve rate hike.
Soft US retail sales, down 0.6% in July, have trimmed the odds of a September move to roughly one in four, from about 50% a week ago.
Chip stocks did much of the heavy lifting. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1.8%, while Japan’s Nikkei shrugged off weaker-than-expected growth figures to move further into record territory.
Oil, meanwhile, remains a worry, with tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still largely halted and President Trump warning Americans to brace for pricier petrol.
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