European stocks closed weak on Thursday, as hotter-than-expected U.S. consumer price inflation data has further offset optimism the

Headline US CPI inflation fell less than expected through the year ended in September, declining from 2.5% to 2.4%. Median market forecasts had called for a print of 2.4% YoY. On the other hand, core US CPI inflation ticked higher YoY in September, rising to 3.3% from the previous 3.2%.

Following the strong upward move seen in the previous session, stocks are likely to move back to the downside in early trading on

The main US stock measures were pointing lower before the opening bell Thursday as traders await a key inflation report. Standard & Poor's 500 and the Nasdaq declined 0.2% each in premarket activity,