European Shares Seen Higher At Open

(RTTNews) - European stocks may open flat to slightly higher on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump described his recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European partners as 'very good" and said he's begun arranging a meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, possibly within the next two weeks.

Zelensky said he is open to "any format" of talks and would decide on the trilateral meeting based on how the first round goes.

On the trade front, the European Union is pushing back against U.S. efforts to wrap its digital regulations into a new trade deal, the Financial Times reported.

Germany said on Monday that agreed-upon lowered tariffs on Europe-made cars would need to occur before a wider EU-US trade deal can be finalized in writing.

Traders also look ahead to upcoming U.S. retail earnings and the Jackson Hole summit for signals on the path of interest rates.

Earnings from Walmart, Home Depot and Target due this week may indicate how Trump's tariff threats and inflation expectations have affected U.S. consumers.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech during the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, conference between August 21 and 23, could offer more clarity on the economic outlook and the central bank's rate trajectory.

The day's economic calendar remains light, with euro area current account data and a U.S. report on new residential construction likely to garner some attention later in the day.

Asian markets were mixed, the dollar edged up slightly and gold held steady below $3,340 per ounce, while oil prices fell amid positive signals from U.S.-Ukraine talks.

U.S. stocks ended on a flat note overnight, with Ukraine talks and upcoming Jackson Hole conference in focus.

After hosting Zelenskyy and other European leaders at the White House, President Trump said he is optimistic that the U.S. and Europe will be able to reach an agreement to provide Ukraine with security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal to end the war.

While the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite inched up marginally, the S&P 500 and the Dow both ended with negative bias.

European stocks ended mixed on Monday as focus shifted to the next round of Ukraine talks.

The pan European STOXX 600 edged up marginally. The German DAX dipped 0.2 percent and France's CAC 40 shed half a percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged up by 0.2 percent.