European markets put in a mixed performance overnight, although trading volumes were light as US markets closed for the Martin Luther King holiday.

Duetsche Bank dragged down Europe's major financials after it reported a shock quarterly loss.

However investors also weighed the banking giant's loss against yesterday's data out of China, which revealed the nation's economy grew at a slightly better-than-expected pace in the last quarter of 2013.

With US trading floors shut for Martin Luther King Day, there was little action in commodity markets.

Gold rose slightly in electronic trading while oil fell after yesterday's less-than-impressive Chinese industrial production numbers stoked concerns over energy demand in the world's second largest economy.

Morning Market Update: Quiet Start Ahead is a post from: Australian Stock Report Market Pulse Blog