European markets mixed, US inflation in focus

Investing.com -- European stock markets traded in mixed fashion on Wednesday as investors await crucial U.S. inflation figures.

At 3:10 ET (8:10 GMT), Germany's DAX was down 0.2%, France's CAC 40 rose 0.2%, and the UK's FTSE 100 was trading flat.

The upcoming U.S. consumer price index (CPI) data is expected to influence the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates at its Dec. 17-18 meeting. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones anticipate a 0.3% monthly rise in November CPI and a 2.7% increase over the past year. Inditexreports strong revenue growth

Inditex (BME:ITX ), the owner of Zara, reported strong interim nine-month earnings on Wednesday. The company reported a 9% year-on-year revenue growth in constant currency from Nov. 1 to Dec. 9.

For the nine months ending Oct. 31, sales increased by 10.5% in constant currency, while gross profit rose 7.2% to €16.3 billion. Oil prices rise amid stimulus optimism and dollar strength

Oil prices edged higher in Asian trading on Wednesday, buoyed by optimism around stimulus measures in China, the world’s largest crude importer.

However, gains were tempered by a strong U.S. dollar as markets awaited inflation data likely to impact interest rate expectations.

By 3:10 ET, U.S. crude futures (WTI) climbed 0.2% to $68.75 per barrel, while Brent crude rose 0.3% to $72.36 per barrel.

Source: Investing.com