US pre-open: Stocks set for mixed start

Wall Street's main market gauges looked primed for a mixed start to trading on Wednesday following a report that the US government might be mulling restrictions on the export to China of the chips used for artificial intelligence.

Against that backdrop, as of 1240 BST the Dow Jones Industrials mini futures contract was gaining 27 points to 34,210.0, but alongside a 33.25 point decline for Nasdaq-100 mini futures to 15,078.25.

Nonetheless, the main risk event of the day was expected to be the European Central Bank's semi-annual policy retreat.

The heads of the Bank of England, Federal Reserve, ECB and Bank of Japan were all scheduled to participate on a panel discussion starting from 1430 BST.

"Often in these situations, policymakers will stick to the script, preferring to leave big announcements for meetings and certain high-profile events," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda.

"But with so many heads appearing at the same time, there's every chance at least one says something that will either rattle or stimulate the markets."

On the company side of things, Spirit AeroSystems and its machinists reached a preliminary deal on a new wage deal with a vote set to take place on Thursday.

General Mills shares were trading down by 4% ahead of the opening bell after the food manufacturer's posted lower-than-expected quarterly sales.