European stocks set for mixed open as French crisis weighs on sentiment

Group 1: European Market Reactions - The U.K.'s FTSE index is expected to open slightly lower, while Germany's DAX is projected to rise by 0.2%, France's CAC 40 is up 0.13%, and Italy's FTSE MIB is down 0.1% [1] - France's political landscape is under scrutiny following Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's resignation, which occurred just 27 days into his tenure [2][3] - Lecornu's resignation led to a decline in France's CAC 40 index, which closed approximately 1.3% lower, with major French banks like Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, and Credit Agricole each dropping over 3% [3] Group 2: U.S. Market Dynamics - U.S. stock futures are slightly lower after Wall Street reached new highs, driven by optimism regarding potential mergers and acquisitions and an anticipated Federal Reserve rate cut [4] - The ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now in its second week, has delayed the release of critical economic data, including the September jobs report, impacting the Federal Reserve's decision-making process [5] Group 3: Asian Market Performance - Japan's Nikkei 225 index achieved a record high for the second consecutive session, buoyed by a tech rally on Wall Street [6]