LIVE MARKETS-Opening snapshot: in the red

* European shares seen lower

April 11 (Reuters) - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets

brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Danilo Masoni. Reach him on

Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: danilo.masoni.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

OPENING SNAPSHOT: IN THE RED (0724 GMT)

Europe's shares have opened in the red today as heightened geopolitical tensions over Syria,

with air strikes looming, make investors more cautious.

Top gainers are Tesco (Frankfurt: 852647 - news) , boosted up 4.3 percent after it beat guidance with a strong full-year

profit increase, and Deutsche Telekom (IOB: 0MPH.IL - news) , up 4.1 percent after Sprint Corp restarted talks to merge

with its T-Mobile unit.

Commodities are back to being a drag on the market today, with oil prices hit by the Syria

developments.

Travel stocks are also among the worst-performing, with Carnival (LSE: CCL.L - news) , Intercontinental Hotel

down 1 to 1.9 percent on the FTSE 100 and budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet also falling.

Escalating tensions in Syria could be weighing on the stocks after Eurocontrol warned airlines

to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean due to possible airstrikes in the next 72

hours.

In a bit of a reversal of trend for UK retail, shares in the fast-growing online fashion

brand Asos (LSE: ASC.L - news) are sinking 10 percent after the company said it would invest more, and

reported sales and profit slightly under analysts' expectations.

(Helen Reid)

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WHAT'S ON OUR RADAR BEFORE EUROPE OPENS (0653 GMT)

European shares are set to open lower, giving back part of the gains seen on Tuesday, as the

soothing effect of Chinese President Xi's speech fizzles out and investors turn their focus on

the U.S. inflation data and Fed minutes due later in the day. Futures on main European stock

benchmarks are down 0.3 percent.

On the corporate front, reports that Sprint has restarted talks to merge with Deutsche

Telekom unit T-Mobile could lift shares in the German telecoms operator, which are indicated up

2 percent in pre-market. Sources told Reuters that Sprint and T-Mobile decided to restart talks

partly because they want to share the financial burden of investing in their networks. Investors

are starting to look again at battered telecoms stocks, as valuations are starting to become

attractive after years of underperformance.

Sky (Frankfurt: 893517 - news) is expected to open lower, down 1 percent pre-market, after news the European Commission

raided the offices of a number of companies involved in sports broadcasting rights, including

Fox Networks Group, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's Fox, which is battling to take over the British

pay-TV company.

In earnings, Tesco beat guidance with a 28 percent rise in full-year profit, underlining the

recovery of Britain's biggest retailer under Chief Executive Dave Lewis. Its shares are up 2-3

percent in premarket.

Other stock movers:

Hammerson (Frankfurt: 876140 - news) advises shareholders to reject new Klepierre (LSE: 0F4I.L - news) bid of 635 pence (up 10 pct

pre-market)

MSCI (Frankfurt: 3HM.F - news) may delete Sulzer (IOB: 0QQ9.IL - news) from indexes amid new U.S. sanctions (down 1.7 pct pre-market)

Lufthansa (Xetra: LHAB.DE - news) , easyJet submit revised offers for Alitalia (Stuttgart: 2278962.SG - news)

Fiat Chrysler, U.S. Justice Dept in diesel emissions settlement talks

Barry Callebaut (IOB: 0QO7.IL - news) confirms targets after H1 results beat expectation (up 1 pct pre-market)

Aramco signs $12 bln worth of deals with France's Total (LSE: 524773.L - news) , Technip (LSE: 0IEB.L - news) and Suez

Google in talks to buy Nokia (Milan: 23568.MI - news) 's airplane broadband business - Bloomberg

New GSK shingles vaccine off to strong start in key U.S. market

Tesco beats guidance with 28 pct full-year profit increase (up 2 percent pre-market)

Online retailer ASOS ups investment as sales grow 27 pct

(Danilo Masoni)

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DAX, FTSE FUTURES FALL SLIGHTLY (0618 GMT)

European shares are set to give back part of the gains seen yesterday with stock index

futures pointing to declines of around 0.3 percent for top regional benchmarks DAX and FTSE.

Michael Hewson, Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK, says that after Chinese President

Xi's speech soothed market jitters over a possible trade war yesterday, investors may now want

to see evidence of action following words.

"... for equity markets to regain a sense of equilibrium we need to start to see progress on

the road away from a potential trade war, and currently there is no evidence of that

whatsoever," he says in his morning note.

Later in the session the focus will turn to the U.S. CPI and the Federal Reserve minutes.

Here's your snapshot:

(Danilo Masoni)

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EARLY MORNING HEADLINE ROUNDUP (0556 GMT)

EU carries out antitrust raid at firms dealing with sports media rights

Unit of Murdoch's Fox says cooperating with Brussels inspection

UPDATE 6-Sprint in new talks to merge with T-Mobile -sources

Lufthansa, easyJet submit revised offers for Alitalia

Air France-KLM (LSE: 0LN7.L - news) says has no interest in bidding for Alitalia

Fiat Chrysler, U.S. Justice Dept in diesel emissions settlement talks

UPDATE 1-Barry Callebaut confirms targets after H1 results beat expectation

Britain's M&C Hotels picks industry veteran Jennifer Fox as new CEO

Aramco signs $12 bln worth of deals with France's Total, Technip and Suez

Google in talks to buy Nokia's airplane broadband business - Bloomberg

New GSK shingles vaccine off to strong start in key U.S. market

Eni CEO says Q1 oil and gas production rose 4 pct

Anglo American (LSE: AAL.L - news) fined $21 mln for Brazil pipeline leaks

UPDATE 2-Boeing (NYSE: BA - news) beats Airbus on Q1 jetliner data, rejigs backlog

INTERVIEW-Telefonica Brasil (Sao Paolo: R2:VIVT3S.SA - news) to expand ultra-fast broadband to 20 new cities

BRIEF-Air Liquide Signs Long-Term Contract With LyondellBasell In The U.S.

German state of Lower Saxony eyes possible cash infusion for NordLB

EXCLUSIVE-Rusal (HKSE: 0486-OL.HK - news) triggers Iran-style defence after U.S. sanctions - source

UPDATE 3-Hundreds of flights cancelled in Germany as airports hit by strikes

German minister rejects joint fund with industry to refit diesel cars

Sanctions expected to prevent Rusal from servicing Eurobond

UPDATE 2-Rio Tinto (Hanover: CRA1.HA - news) reviewing Rusal ties, mum on Queensland venture

UPDATE 2-Brazil court orders Hydro to set aside $44 mln for cleanup

Air France (Paris: FR0000031122 - news) raises pay offer in bid to end strikes

Rusal director Glasenberg quits, bonds slump as U.S. sanctions bite

NEWSMAKER-Cost-cutter Diess seen driving change as Volkswagen CEO

BREAKINGVIEWS-New VW boss would only part-solve its problems

(Danilo Masoni)

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MORNING CALL: EUROPEAN SHARES SEEN LOWER (0520 GMT)

European shares are expected to open higher today with the U.S. CPI and the Federal Reserve

minutes likely to be in focus later in the day. On Tuesday the STOXX 600 rose 0.8 percent.

Financial spreadbetters expect London's FTSE to open 24 points lower at 7,242, Frankfurt's

DAX to open 47 points lower at 12,350 and Paris' CAC to open 14 points lower at 5,293.

Over in Asia, stocks rose modestly, paring earlier gains as optimism that trade ties between

Washington and Beijing were on the mend gave way to questions about the next phase of the

diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two countries.

(Danilo Masoni)

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