FTSE 100 Ends Muted in Absence of U.S. Inflation -2-

1201 GMT - European stocks trade mixed after upbeat Asia trading and ahead of an expected slightly higher U.S. open. The Stoxx Europe 600 falls 0.1% and the Dow drops 0.2%, but the FTSE 100 and CAC 40 gain 0.4% and 0.1% respectively. Oil shares trade mixed, with Brent crude dropping 0.3% to $75.82 a barrel. Asia markets mostly closed higher, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng advancing more than 1%. IG futures data shows the Dow opening at 36448, versus Monday's close of 36404. "Markets now await new signals from today's U.S. inflation report [and] the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision Wednesday, with expectations that rates will remain unchanged in December," market analyst at multi-asset brokerage XS.com, Rania Gule, writes. ([e-mail])

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12-12-23 1256ET