European stocks are likely to open a tad lower on Tuesday after Chinese exports and imports figures missed expectations.
Exports climbed 7.2 percent year-over-year in July in dollar terms, well below the 11.0 percent spike economists had expected. Imports rose 11.0 percent from a year ago, much slower than the expected growth of 18.0 percent.
Closer home, U.K. retail sales growth slowed in July even as grocery sales continued on an upward trend due to inflation, the British Retail Consortium said.
Like-for-like sales were up 0.9 percent year-on-year - in line with expectations and slowing from 1.2 percent in June. German and French trade figures are slated for release later in the day.
Asian stocks are broadly lower and the dollar edged lower against a basket of currencies ahead of U.S. inflation data due this week, while oil prices fell after reports of a rebound in production from Libya's largest oil field.
Gold held steady to hover around two-week lows after St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said he sees no need for a rate hike in the near term, despite improvements in the labor market.
Overnight, U.S. stocks closed slightly higher as investors remained focused on the latest earnings and deal news.
While technology companies led the surge, energy companies fell the most along with the price of crude oil.
The Dow edged up 0.1 percent to close at a record high for the ninth consecutive session, while the S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent and the Nasdaq Composite added half a percent.
European markets ended mixed on Monday after downbeat German data and mixed earnings updates.
The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index slid 0.1 percent and the German DAX eased 0.3 percent, while France's CAC 40 index inched up 0.1 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.3 percent.
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.