European markets set to open higher as investors await more earnings reports

Group 1 - European stocks are expected to open higher, with the U.K.'s FTSE index and Germany's DAX projected to rise by 0.4%, France's CAC 40 by 1.1%, and Italy's FTSE MIB by 0.5% [1] - The positive market sentiment follows a mixed closing on Wednesday as investors evaluated a series of corporate earnings reports [2] - A busy earnings day is anticipated, with major companies such as Siemens, L'Oreal, Anheuser-Busch Inbev, British American Tobacco, Mercedes-Benz Group, Adyen, and Deutsche Borse set to report [2] Group 2 - Japan's Nikkei 225 index reached 58,000 for the first time, marking a continuation of its post-election rally [3] - U.S. futures related to the Dow Jones Industrial Average showed little change after the index's three-day winning streak ended [3]