European equities are expected to open higher. Next meeting of the ECB in focus.

European equities are expected to open higher Wednesday with investors digesting the latest downbeat data from the U.S. and looking ahead to euro zone inflation data and the next meeting of the European Central Bank.

Asian equities traded mixed on Wednesday as sentiment remained shaky in the region, with investors awaiting more regional economic data ahead of the key November non-farm payroll number from the U.S. on Friday.Australia's Third quarter GDP was up 2.5 percent on-year, beating expectations of 2.4 percent growth.

08:30: Nikkei 225 Index: -0.17%; S&P/ASX 200: -0.15%; Shanghai Composite Index: +1.00%; Hang Seng Index: +0.44%.

Crude prices dipped in early Asian trading hours on Wednesday as U.S. stockpiles rose against expectations.

U.S. sovereign bonds rose on Tuesday, as investors digested data and kept an eye on major central banks. German bunds — another safe haven — fell. We see their biggest divergence since the creation of the euro. So for traders, appearances by Fed Chair Janet Yellen both Wednesday and Thursday could be critical in setting market expectations about the course of Fed rate hikes.

U.K. politicians are to vote on whether the U.K. should join other Western countries in airstrikes against the militant Islamist group Islamic State in Syria. There is also focus on Paris where global heads of state have converged on Paris for a United Nations summit on climate change.