European markets open slightly higher ahead of another key U.S. inflation reading

European markets edged higher at the Thursday open, with investors keeping an eye out for another key U.S. inflation reading for February.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.1% in early deals, as sectors were mixed. Food and beverage stocks led gains, up 0.45%, as mining fell 0.45%.

The producer price index, which measures wholesale inflation, is set for release before the U.S. trading session kicks off. Economists polled by Dow Jones anticipate headline PPI to have climbed by 0.3% in February, or 0.2% after excluding food and energy prices.

The PPI report is the last major piece of economic data to be released prior to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting on March 19-20.

U.S. stock futures inched higher on Wednesday night while Asia-Pacific markets were largely range-bound on Thursday, with investors focused on Japan’s spring wage negotiations and India’s wholesale inflation data.

— CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han contributed to this market report.