Investing.com - European stock markets edged lower Monday, as investors prepared for important policy-setting meetings from both the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.
At 03:05 ET (07:05 GMT), the DAX index in Germany traded 0.2% lower, the CAC 40 in France fell 0.2% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. dropped 0.1%.
Fed to start cutting rates
The focus this week will center on the conclusion of the latest Fed meeting, which is expected to see the U.S. central bank starting to cut interest rates from the 5.25%-5.5% range that has been in place for the last 14 months.
A reduction in rates has been widely flagged by Fed officials, with U.S. price growth continuing to soften, falling last month to its lowest level since February 2021. But investors will be looking to see the size of the cut, and what guidance Chair Jerome Powell will give on the future path for monetary policy.
The Bank of England also meets this week, but there is more uncertainty over whether this central bank will ease monetary policy having started to cut interest rates in August, for the first time in four years.
Economic and political uncertainty
However, these potential rate cuts would arrive against a backdrop of a lackluster global economy, particularly in the important Asian region.
Data released over the weekend showed Chinese industrial production and retail sales fell less than expected in August.
Unemployment also rose, while house prices declined for another straight month.
The readings ramped up concerns over a protracted slowdown in Asia’s biggest economy, further denting global sentiment.
Additionally, reports of a second assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump illustrated the political uncertainty in the world’s dominant economy ahead of the November election.
European banking M&A returns?
In the corporate sector, Commerzbank (ETR:CBKG) stock fell 0.2% after rallying nearly 20% over the last two working days following UniCredit (ETR:CRIG) unveiling a 9% stake in the German lender - sparking speculation that long-awaited European banking M&A is back.
A merger of UniCredit and Commerzbank could add value for all stakeholders and create a stronger bank, UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel told a German newspaper on Monday.
Volkswagen (ETR:VOWG_p) stock fell 1% after Jefferies wrote in a note that the German carmaker may book billions of euros in provisions for planned capacity cuts as early as the fourth quarter.
The comments by Jefferies come after Volkswagen earlier this month said it was considering shutting plants in Germany for the first time in its history, a move aimed at bringing down costs.
Crude gains ahead of expected Fed cut
Crude prices edged higher Monday ahead of the expected Fed rate cut later this week, although persistent demand concerns continued to limit any serious upside.
By 03:05 ET, the Brent contract gained 0.4% to $71.92 per barrel, while U.S. crude futures (WTI) traded 0.6% higher at $68.14 per barrel.
The U.S. central bank is likely to kick off an easing cycle on Wednesday, and lower rates bode well for economic growth, which in turn could help keep U.S. fuel demand supported in the coming months.
That said, Chinese economic data released over the weekend pointed to more economic weakness in the world’s biggest oil importer, while Gulf of Mexico crude production resumed following Hurricane Francine, even if nearly a fifth of crude oil production remained offline.