PARIS (Reuters) – European markets open scattered on Wednesday, in a wait-and-see context before the publication of CPI inflation in the United States on Thursday and several comments from monetary policy officials on Wednesday.

In Paris, the CAC 40 hesitates at 7,429.88 points around 08:29 GMT. In Frankfurt, the Dax is looking for direction, while the FTSE in London is down 0.19%.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index lost 0.19%, the EuroStoxx 50 did not show any marked direction and the Stoxx 600 fell by 0.15%.

Futures on New York indices suggest an opening on Wall Street that is also mixed, with the Dow Jones falling by 0.13%, against a hesitant Standard & Poor’s 500 and an increase of 0.14% for the Nasdaq.

The main indicator of the week will be CPI inflation in the United States, published on Thursday, and which is expected to increase by 0.2% over one month and 3.2% over one year, according to economists polled by Reuters, after respectively +0.1% and +3.1% the previous month.

A surprise could cause the markets, positioned for a rapid rate cut by the American central bank, to react.

Two European monetary policy makers will speak on Wednesday: Luis de Guindos will speak from 8:20 a.m. GMT, while Isabel Schnabel will speak from 2:00 p.m. GMT.

“Inflation which seemed more persistent in the December figures could push it to rise against expectations of rate cuts,” estimate ING strategists.

In terms of values, Campari fell 5.5%, at the bottom of the Stoxx 600, after declaring on Wednesday that it had successfully concluded a private placement of shares and bonds of 1.2 billion euros to finance the acquisition of the producer French historic cognac Courvoisier.

(Written by Corentin Chappron, edited by Kate Entringer)

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