(MENAFN- AFP) Most major stock markets were slightly lower on Tuesday as trading resumed after the Easter holiday weekend, with attention turning to a speech by US Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen.
Asian markets mostly retreated after a similar pause in trading.
Around 1345 GMT, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index and Frankfurt's DAX 30 both were 0.2 percent lower, but the Paris CAC 40 bucked the trend with a 0.5 percent rise.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones index dropped by 0.5 percent in early business.
"European bourses have made a rather muted start to the week," said Mike van Dulken, head of research at traders Accendo Markets, adding that news of an Egyptian airliner being hijacked Tuesday had a "negligible impact" on markets.
All eyes were on Yellen in the hope that she will shed some light on the Fed's thinking about its interest rate policy in her speech Tuesday in New York.
A string of easing measures from central banks around the world provided some much-needed support over March.
A recent series of strong US data -- including better-than-forecast fourth-quarter growth -- raised the prospect of a lift sometime soon, although disappointing inflation and consumer spending figures have dampened expectations once more.
In the eurozone, the ECB has launched a raft of policy measures to get credit flowing, including a massive programme to buy public sector bonds to pump liquidity into the system.
ECB data Tuesday showed that loans to the private sector in the euro area grew faster in February than the previous month.
Investors are meanwhile "in wait-and-see mode ahead of Fed chair Janet Yellen's speech at the European market close, with traders hoping for more clues on when the US central bank might next hike rates after mixed US data", said van Dulken.
Also on the agenda this week is the release Friday of a US jobs report that will give further insight into the state of the world's top economy.
- Key figures around 1345 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN: 0.5 percent at 17,447.73
New York - Nasdaq: DOWN: 0.4 percent at 4,750.33
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 6,094.60
Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.2 percent at 9,836.04
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.5 percent at 4,352.11
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.2 percent at 2,991.43
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.2 percent at 17,103.56 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.3 percent at 2,919.83 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.1 percent at 20,366.30 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1211 from $1.1196 on Monday
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 113.40 yen from 113.45 yen
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