Small changes in the markets ahead of an active week. After a volatile last week, European stock markets were little changed yesterday, with the STOXX 600 down 0.2 percent and the US S&P 500 up 0.1 percent.
There may be more movements in the markets today – French GDP growth data published in the morning exceeded expectations, Spain's GDP will be published later in the day, preliminary July inflation indicators for European countries will be published today and tomorrow.
Changes in Asian trade are also small, but Chinese indices observe a sharper fall (HANG SENG -1.4%). The country's markets stand out this year – while other global markets are recording growth, China's stock indices are seeing a decline this year.
Investor confidence is very low, and the government is still struggling to revive domestic consumption and fix the ailing real estate sector. Although a meeting of the Politburo of the Communist Party is expected soon, which should determine the economic direction for the second half of the year, market participants do not expect important decisions from it.
