BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks may open slightly
higher on Tuesday as easing geopolitical tensions and a soft inflation outlook
bolstered hopes that the European Central Bank will soon start cutting interest
rates.

Asian markets traded mixed after U.S. stocks clawed back some of their losses
from last week overnight.

Regional gains, if any, remained limited ahead of earnings results from U.S.
tech giants due this week.

Investors also await the release of first-quarter U.S. GDP data as well as the
core personal-consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, which is the Fed's
preferred measure of inflation, this week for clues about the timing and pace of
interest-rate cuts this year.

Meanwhile, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is expected to leave the fed
funds target rate unchanged at 5.25-5.50 percent at the conclusion of its April
30-May 1 meeting.

A firm dollar weighed on bullion, with spot gold falling about 1 percent to
hover near $2,300 per ounce.

Treasuries held steady while oil prices rose about half a percent, buoyed by the
prospect of potentially tighter supplies in the coming months.

Flash composite PMI figures from Germany, France. U.K., and Eurozone may garner
some attention later in the day.

U.S. stocks closed higher overnight after a sell-off in the previous session.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.9 percent to snap a six-day losing streak as fears of a
wider conflict in the Middle East ebbed and investors geared up for quarterly
results from megacap companies.

The Dow rose 0.7 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.1
percent.

European stocks gained on Monday in the wake of dovish ECB commentary and easing
Middle East tensions. The pan European STOXX 600 inched up 0.6 percent.

The German DAX gained 0.7 percent and France's CAC 40 edged up 0.2 percent while
the U.K.'s FTSE 100 added 1.6 percent to notch a record close on optimism that
the Bank of England will cut interest rates twice this year.



Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved

Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX