European stock markets traded in a mixed fashion Tuesday, as investors await more comments from central bank policy makers while the corporate earnings season winds down.
At 03:05 ET (08:05 GMT), the DAX index in Germany traded 0.1% higher, while the CAC 40 in France traded 0.1% lower and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. fell 0.1%.
ECB speakers awaited
There are no major corporate earnings to focus on in Europe this session, and thus activity is likely to be limited as investors await speeches from a number of European Central Bank officials, including President Christine Lagarde.
Eurozone inflation retreated sharply to 2.9% in October, down from 4.3% the previous month, but ECB members have been keen to quash speculation that rate cuts are just around the corner after the central bank ended an unprecedented streak of 10 consecutive interest rate hikes last month.
The Governor of the Bank of Spain, Pablo Hernandez de Cos, said on Monday it was "premature" to talk about the possibility of interest rate cuts, while his French equivalent Francois Villeroy de Galhau said rates have reached a plateau where they will likely remain for the next few quarters.
EU car registrations soar in October
Back in Europe, the region’s auto sector received a boost after data showed that new car registrations rose 14.6% in October year on year, the 15th consecutive month of growth.
French new car registrations rose 21.9%, Italy increased 20%, Spain grew 18.1%, while Germany saw weaker growth of 4.9%.