U.S. futures stagnate before avalanche of economic data Momentum flags as trading thins before year-end holidays The dollar fell against the euro, pausing in a rally that breached decade highs this week. Shares and commodities edged lower as the wait for a flurry of U.S. economic data exacerbated an end-of-year trading slowdown. The U.S. currency weakened against most of its Group-of-10 peers as traders avoided fresh risks in the run-up to next week’s holidays. Miners led a decline in European stocks, as data on Chinese zinc output stoked supply concerns, and oil traded below $53 a barrel. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA fluctuated as people with knowledge of the matter said Italy will probably be forced to nationalize the troubled lender. Thursday’s economic indicators out of the U.S., including data on durable goods orders and jobless claims, may signal whether business activity mirrors market optimism about Donald Trump’s fiscal stimulus plans. Speculation the President-elect will open the spigot of spending has sent the dollar to near a 14-year high against the euro and pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average to almost 20,000 this week. “If we are expecting signs that the Trump administration is leading to confidence among businesses, the direction of capital spending will be looked at with some interest,� said Andrew Milligan, head of global strategy at Standard Life Investments Ltd. in Edinburgh. “Going into next year, we are confident the dollar will continue to make headway. It will be the currency that appreciates in 2017, it’s just a question of how much.� Read More: Markets live blog here Stocks The Stoxx Europe 600 Index lost 0.1 percent by 7:19 a.m. in New York, retreating from the year’s highest intraday level on Wednesday. The basic resource industry was the biggest decliner, down 1.3 percent. Monte Paschi was 0.3 percent lower, after swinging between a loss of 10 percent and a gain of 4 percent. The Italian lender said no anchor investor has shown interest in a sale of shares. Actelion Ltd. rose 4.2 percent after entering exclusive talks about a possible transaction with U.S. drug giant Johnson & Johnson. Bonds Treasuries fell, pushing the 10-year yield two basis points higher to 2.56 percent. German bunds also declined, with the benchmark yield three basis points higher at 0.27 percent. Commodities West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 0.4 percent to $52.28 a barrel Thursday after dropping Wednesday by 1.5 percent, its first slide this week. Lead, zinc and nickel dropped at least 2 percent as data showed China stepping up production. Gold traded near the lowest level in more than 10 months as investors weighed the outlook for the dollar and U.S. interest rates. Bullion for immediate delivery dropped 0.1 percent to $1,130.03 an ounce.

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