HI Brian

Here is some from my brooker.

EUROPEAN OUTLOOK & US/ASIAN SUMMARIES:

Global economic worries are pressuring stocks anew Friday. European stock markets are called lower, with government bond prices seen up. The euro remains under pressure, with oil and gold also lower.


STOCKS:

European shares are seen lower on Friday, after markets fell Thursday as growth worries fueled sharp losses for industrials and technology stocks. The European Central Bank and the Bank of England left interest rates on hold while they continued to struggle to tame inflation amid flagging growth.

For Friday's opening, BGC Partners is calling the FTSE down 54 at 5308, the DAX off 69 at 6210, and CAC down 54 at 4250.

"The slowdown in the euro zone is starting to become more obvious," said Peter Dixon, equity strategist at Commerzbank. "It's not good for earnings trends."

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said Thursday that the euro-zone economy is "currently experiencing an episode of weak activity characterized by high commodity prices weighing on consumer confidence and demand, as well as by dampened investment growth."

The European Central Bank and the Bank of England both decided to leave interest rates on hold this month, as expected. The ECB kept rates at 4.25% and the Bank of England left rates at 5%.

"Despite the growing risk of euro zone recession, the ECB gives no sign at all that it is anywhere near to cutting interest rates given current well above-target inflation and still significant upside risks to medium-term price stability," said economists at Global Insight.

The ECB also said it will tighten rules regarding how it treats collateral offered by banks participating in the central bank's money-market operations.