European Shares Set to Open Higher; Oil, Data Eyed

European shares were set to open higher on Wednesday as oil stayed away from recent record highs and investors sought fresh clues about the U.S. economy from durable goods data.

Bookmakers expected Britain's FTSE 100 to open up 11-24 points, Germany's DAX to open up 20-33 points and France's CAC to open up 14-23 points.

U.S. stocks rose overnight but Japanese shares were trading sharply lower,  making for a mixed impetus for Europe. More direction was likely from the U.S. durable goods data, due later in the European session.