BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks look set to open on a mixed note Tuesday as investors watch Brexit developments and await to see if Chinese and American officials will begin the next round of trade talks in September to resolve the trade war.
Treasury yields ticked higher and gold gained ground on dollar weakness as a new round of retaliatory tariffs by the world's two largest economies took effect over the weekend.
Oil held losses, with U.S. benchmark WTI crude slipping below $55 a barrel on growth concerns after a report showed South Korea's economy expanded less than estimated during the second quarter.
The pound flirted with 2 1/2-year lows as British PM Boris Johnson issued a final Brexit ultimatum to rebel MPs, threatening a snap election if Parliament defeats the government on Brexit.
Asian stock markets are trading mixed on rising U.S.-China trade tensions after the two countries imposed additional tariffs on each other's goods over the weekend.
U.K. like-for-like retail sales declined in August driven by non-food sales, data published by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG showed earlier today.
Like-for-like retail sales decreased 0.5 percent on a yearly basis in August. At the same time, total retail sales were flat in August.
Purchasing Managers' survey from the U.K. is due later in the session, headlining a light day for the European economic news.
The U.S. markets were closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday.
European markets rose on Monday as encouraging Chinese and euro area manufacturing data helped ease concerns about slowing economic growth.
The pan European Stoxx 600 inched up 0.3 percent. The German DAX gained 0.1 percent, France's CAC 40 index advanced 0.2 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 added 1 percent.
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