US equity futures are indicating a slightly higher open as of 05:00 ET. European equity markets are firmer, following mostly softer levels in Asia, where markets shrugged off unexpectedly strong Chinese exports. FOMC minutes reiterated the need for data dependence and policy flexibility. March US CPI was cooler-than-expected, but there was not enough in the data to shift expectations away from a final Fed rate hike in May.
Companies Mentioned: Alibaba (NYSE:BABA), SoftBank, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)