European markets are set to open slightly higher Thursday morning, as investors await the release of corporate earnings and economic data.

The FTSE 100 is expected to start 13 points higher at 7,748; while the German DAX is seen up by 24 points at 13,295 and the CAC 40 is set to open 5 points higher at 5,504, according to IG.

In Asia, the New Year rally faded amid concerns about rising U.S. protectionism, while bonds bounced back after China’s foreign exchange regulator said a report about Beijing slowing its U.S. bond buying could be based on “fake” information.

Meanwhile, bitcoin slipped more than 11 percent Thursday after South Korea said it was preparing a bill to ban all cryptocurrency trading in the country. That news is a major announcement in the digital currency space because Seoul remains one of the biggest markets for major coins like bitcoin and ethereum.

In the corporate world, Tesco will release its third-quarter numbers alongside its Christmas trading figures, while John Lewis and Waitrose will issue a trading update.

On the data front, the euro area will release industrial production figures for November at around 10:00 a.m. London time.