London stocks are set to open slightly lower on Tuesday as investors look ahead to the start of the US earnings season and key inflation data, after markets largely brushed off renewed concerns over Federal Reserve independence.
FTSE 100 futures point to opening 20 points higher on Tuesday at 10,406, after the index closed 0.2% higher at 10,140.70 on Monday.
In currency markets, sterling and the euro eased slightly against the dollar, while the dollar strengthened versus the yen. Brent crude rose to $64.16 a barrel amid heightened geopolitical tensions, after Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on any country trading with Iran.
Wall Street edged higher on Monday as investors awaited fresh economic data and more earnings this week. The Dow Jones rose 0.04% after crossing 50,000 for the first time, while the S&P 500 gained 0.5% and the Nasdaq advanced 0.9%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped less than 0.1% to 8,867.40, while South Korea’s Kospi gained less than 0.1% to 5,301.69. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.5% to 27,163.37 and the Shanghai Composite added nearly 0.2% to 4,130.00.
The gains lifted the MSCI All-Country World Index 0.2% to a fresh record high.
Gold slipped back to $4,578 an ounce after hitting a record above $4,600.
