A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from

Rocky Swift

With much of Asia shut for Lunar New Year holidays, all eyes

turned to the Middle ​East on hopes that talks between the ‌U.S.

and Iran will de-escalate geopolitical tensions.

Oil prices were higher and gold fell after ⁠U.S. President

Donald Trump said that he would be involved "indirectly" in

talks ⁠over Tehran's nuclear program set for Tuesday in ‌Geneva,

adding he ‌believed Tehran wanted to make a deal.

Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and ​South

Korea markets were closed, keeping activity ‌subdued in financial

markets following a break in the U.S. for Presidents' Day.

With few catalysts on the day, ​traders looked ahead to ​other

key data ‌points this week, including Fed minutes on Wednesday

and U.S. GDP figures on Friday.

Britain, Canada and Japan are also due ⁠to publish inflation

data this week. These price readings have ⁠become even more

crucial for markets after the Reserve Bank of Australia earlier

this month became the first major central bank, excluding

Japan's special case, to raise rates after the post-COVID easing

cycle.

The RBA ⁠said ‌on Tuesday it had concluded inflation would

stay stubbornly ‌high if it had not hiked interest rates.

In early European ⁠trades, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50

futures were down 0.35% to 5,975, German DAX futures

slid 0.39% to 24,774, and FTSE futures lost

0.18% to 10,422. U.S. stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis,

were down 0.46% at 6,819.

Key developments that could influence markets on Tuesday:

- Earnings from Kerry Group, ​InterContinental Hotels, Carrefour

SA

- Germany CPI final for January

- ZEW surveys for euro zone, Germany

- UK jobs data

- Debt: reopening of 2-year ​debt auction in Germany, ‌reopening

of 2-year and 6-year auctions in the ​UK

(Editing by Shri Navaratnam)