European stocks are set to open slightly lower Tuesday morning, as market participants prepare for key events later in the week.
The FTSE 100 is seen 9 points lower at 7,442, the CAC is expected to open down around 8 points at 5,463, while the DAX is poised to start 36 points lower at 11,926, according to IG.
Market focus is largely attuned to corporate results, with major U.S. banks set to get the ball rolling later in the week.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo are both poised to report their latest figures on Friday.
Concerns about U.S. earnings have dragged on U.S. equities in recent sessions, though a robust jobs report last week helped to soothe frayed nerves.
Back in Europe, investors continued to monitor an upcoming Brexit summit. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to meet with the leaders of Germany and France later in the session, with four days to go before the world’s fifth-largest economy is due to leave the European Union.
May will be at an emergency summit on Wednesday, when all 28 EU states will vote on whether to grant the U.K. an additional Brexit extension.
On the data front, Italy will publish month-on-month retail figures for February at around 9:00 a.m. London time.
Elsewhere, Commerzbank is reportedly set to decide whether or not to continue merger talks with Deutsche Bank on Tuesday.