Market Analysis

European stocks started the day on a downward trend on Tuesday, as investors remained cautious ahead of key events such as the release of U.S. inflation data and the European Central Bank's monetary policy decision later in the week. However, gains in BP and mining companies helped offset some of the losses.

The STOXX 600 index, representing European stocks, was down 0.2% as of 0716 GMT, following a strong session on Monday.

Investors were hesitant to make significant moves ahead of crucial economic indicators, with the U.S. inflation data due on Wednesday and the ECB's decision on interest rates expected on Thursday.

BP saw a 1% increase in its share price after it projected growth in its first-quarter oil and gas output, along with an expansion in low-emission energy production.

Meanwhile, the basic resources sector rose nearly 1%, buoyed by record-high copper prices in Shanghai driven by positive factory data from major economies.

However, Atos experienced a 2% decline in share value amidst volatile trading, following an update on its financial restructuring plan.

Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.