With Wall Street closed for its Thanksgiving holiday, European shares rose were in focus as investors bought into defensive sectors such as utilities amid worries about soaring coronavirus cases across the continent.

The Europe-wide STOXX 600 index rose 0.4 per cent, bouncing off three-week lows hit on Wednesday. Utilities and healthcare stocks, sectors considered as safer bets during times of economic uncertainty, were among top gainers.

Utilities, which led the way, also received a boost from Germany’s push to step up climate protection, including a faster expansion of renewables and an accelerated coal exit.

Technology stocks rose 0.6 per cent, their first session of gains in six days, after rising bond yields hit the high-growth sector earlier this week.

The Australian sharemarket is set for a tepid start to the session, with futures at 4.57am AEDT pointing to a dip of 6 points or 0.1 per cent, at the open.

After concerns about faster US rate hikes dented global sentiment, strong economic data helped Wall Street close higher on Wednesday and supported markets across the globe.

The Thanksgiving holiday in the United States kept a lid on activity elsewhere on Thursday.

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ASX futures down 7 points or 0.1% to 7400 at 6.13am AEDT

• Australian dollar -0.1% to 71.89 US cents at 6.37am AEDT
• Wall Street closed for Thanksgiving
• Europe: Stoxx 50 +0.4%, FTSE +0.3%, DAX +0.3%, CAC +0.5%
• Bitcoin +3.3% to $US59,070.51 on Bitstamp at 6.39am AEDT
• Spot gold flat at $US1788.65 per ounce
• Brent crude +0.1% to $US82.30 a barrel
• US oil -0.5% to $US78.03 a barrel
• Iron ore -0.4% to $US102.35 a tonne
• 10-year yield: US 1.63% Australia 1.86% Germany -0.25%