LONDON — European markets were lower Monday as investors digest a heavy week of earnings and look ahead to euro zone inflation data and a key policy decision from the Bank of England.
Food and beverage stocks were 0.9% lower in early deals, while oil and gas stocks were up 0.3%.
Preliminary euro zone inflation data will be released at 11:00 a.m. CET, with a further fall from June's 5.5% expected to provide some relief for policymakers.
The European Central Bank's Christine Lagarde signaled last week that the bank was "open minded" about whether it would raise rates in September as inflation shows signs of easing.
The move would mark its 14th consecutive rise as U.K. inflation remains high, having fallen only slightly to 7.9% in June.
Persons:
Christine Lagarde, France's Legrand, Pearson
Organizations:
Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Nikkei, Nasdaq, Heineken
Locations:
June's, Asia, Pacific, Europe, Netherlands