European markets are expected to start off slightly higher on Tuesday morning, as investors gear up for the latest in political news coming out of the euro zone. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 is expected to open 7 points higher at 7,534, while the German DAX is set to start on a positive note, up 6 points at 12,997 and the French CAC up 5 points at 5,367, according to IG. On the political front, Spain's IBEX and the country's stocks will be of key focus for investors on Tuesday, after news emerged on Monday that Madrid's High Court had taken a toughened stance, by detaining two Catalan separatist leaders. Meanwhile on Monday morning, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont failed to respond to Spain's ultimatum to shed light on whether he would officially declare independence. Elsewhere, Brexit will be on the back of investors' minds Tuesday after British Prime Minister Theresa May met with leading EU officials in Brussels on Monday. Both May and the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for the pace of Brexit negotiations to be accelerated. The two leading figures also went on to comment on strengthening security in Europe, terrorism, and preserving the Iran nuclear accord. In central bank news, two leading members of the European Central Bank are set to deliver separate remarks on Tuesday, with Vice President Vítor Constancio expected to speak at a conference on financial stability in Portugal. Meanwhile, ECB Executive Board Member Peter Praet will be in Brussels at a conference entitled "More than ever, Europe matters". Sticking with central banks, the U.K. Treasury Committee will have an appointment hearing featuring Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on Tuesday, which will likely discuss the recent performance and work done by the British institution. Overseas, the Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras will be in Washington on Tuesday where he is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House. The leaders are expected to discuss a number of topics, including economic investment and defense cooperation. In earnings, Danone reported that underlying sales growth sped up in its its third quarter, boosted by rising demand in some of its products in China. Online retailer ASOS also published its full-year results Tuesday, which showed that retail sales had grown by 34 percent on a reported basis, compared to the year prior. Elsewhere, U.K. education group Pearson issued a trading update Tuesday, which stated that "good progress" had been seen during the first half, and that guidance remained unchanged for 2017. In an interview with CNBC, its CEO John Fallon said the results were "encouraging", yet it was still "early days", as publishers worldwide continue to deal with the rise of digital. Looking to data, U.K. inflation data is set to come out around 9:30 a.m. London time, while the German ZEW indicator of economic sentiment is due out at 10:00 a.m. London time. Source: CNBC
