European stocks are likely to open on a subdued note Monday as investors look ahead to the interest rate decisions from the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England this week for directional cues. <\/p>\n
The FOMC decision is due on Feb.1, with analysts expecting the U.S. central bank to slow the pace of interest rate hikes to 25 basis points. <\/p>\n
Traders will pay close attention to the accompanying statement to see if there are chances of a soft landing for the economy<\/span>.<\/p>\n The monthly U.S. jobs and wage data along with reports on consumer confidence and manufacturing and service sector activity would also be in the spotlight. <\/p>\n Elsewhere, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England are both expected to hike rates by 50 basis points.<\/p>\n On the earnings front, Alphabet, Apple, Amazon and Facebook parent company Meta are among the prominent companies scheduled to report their fourth-quarter financial results this week. <\/p>\n Asian markets<\/span> traded mostly lower even as Chinese shares rose as traders returned from the Lunar New Year holidays.<\/p>\n The dollar traded firm and gold held steady while oil edged lower ahead of an OPEC+ meeting this week, with no changes expected to oil output policy.<\/p>\n