Equity markets are expected to decline slightly ahead of several important indicators. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,246.13 points with an increase of 1.05%, the CAC 40 at 6,743.50 points (+0.80%), the DAX 30 at 15,932.12 points (+0.96 %), the FTSE 100 at 7,187.17 points (+0.68%), the SMI at 12,430.23 points (+0.63%), the AEX at 798.55 points (+1.14%), the BEL 20 at 4,314.66 points (+0.25%), the IBEX 35 at 8,882.30 points (+0.21%), the DJIA at 35,369.09 points (-0.21%), the Nasdaq at 15,363.52 points (+0.21%), the S&P 500 at 4,535.43 points (-0.03%) and the Nikkei 225 at 29,917.62 points with an increase of 0.87%.

Regarding the exchange rate, the variation compared to the close in New York indicates that the EUR/USD appears at 1.1871 down 0.07%, the EUR/JPY at 130.34 (+0.04%) and USD/JPY at 109.81 with an increase of 0.09%.

European equity markets are expected to open slightly lower on Tuesday, as investors await several important economic indicators in the euro zone as well as monetary policy announcements from the European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday. At 7:35 am, the futures contract on the CAC 40 yielded 5.3 points, or 0.1%, according to data from the broker IG Markets. The DAX contract also lost 20 points, or 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 contract lost 18 points, or 0.3%. On Tuesday, investors will be paying attention to industrial production figures in Germany, the ZEW index of economic sentiment across the Rhine, as well as the second estimate of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the euro zone in the second quarter.

For its part, the ECB is expected to present its roadmap on Thursday to reduce bond purchases made under the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program (PEPP), analysts say. This week, investors will also be watching for comments from New York Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman John Williams on the economic outlook and monetary policy. In Asia, equity markets gained ground on Tuesday. At the end of the session, the Nikkei index gained 0.9% in Tokyo, supported by the strong increase in electronics stocks. This is the seventh consecutive session of increases for the Japanese index, which is carried by the hope of new economic stimulus measures when the ruling party chooses its new leader.

The Hang Seng index gained 0.9% in Hong Kong, while the Shanghai Composite gained 1.1%. Unexpectedly, China's export growth accelerated in August, despite a rise in Covid-19 cases in the country which led to the partial closure of some port facilities. China's exports rose 25.6 percent year on year in August, after rising 19.3 percent in July, the General Administration of Customs said on Tuesday. This result exceeds the 17% increase expected by economists polled by the Wall Street Journal.

Companies continue to tap into euro debt markets to raise funds and some 4.85 billion euros of securities hit the market on Monday, Societe Generale said. The Spanish group specializing in mobile telecommunications infrastructure and services Cellnex Telecom and the Portuguese utility company EDP raised 1.85 billion and 1.25 billion euros respectively. The remaining 1.75 billion euros are made up of bonds issued by the banks Santander, Ceska Sporitelna and Mediobanca. Monday's issues come after a very good performance last week, with more than 20 billion euros of securities issued in all markets, underlines Societe Generale.

The euro rose slightly against the dollar on Tuesday morning, supported by hopes that the Federal Reserve would wait before reducing its asset purchases after a series of weak data in the United States. These data, along with comments from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole symposium, argue for the U.S. central bank to remain patient and engage in a gradual pace of normalization, Maybank said. By postponing the reduction in its asset purchases, the Fed could have a negative impact on the dollar, provided there is no unexpected resurgence in Covid-19 cases, Maybank adds.

Oil contracts painted a mixed picture on Tuesday morning as investors worried about Saudi Arabia's decision to cut its selling prices to Asia in October. The national oil company Aramco announced on Monday a sharper drop in all of its prices for Asia, but it kept the bulk of its prices for Europe and the United States unchanged. Demand trends are another area of concern for refineries in the region as Covid-19 cases surge, which may reduce travel to some countries. At 7:25 a.m., the November North Sea Brent contract was up 28 cents, at $72.50 a barrel. The October contract on Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) was down 21 cents at $69.08 a barrel.