LIVE MARKETS-Fed watching, Q3 galore and the Xmas Brexit election

Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Julien Ponthus. Reach him on Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: julien.ponthus.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

FED WATCHING, Q3 GALORE AND THE XMAS BREXIT ELECTION (0542 GMT)

Christmas will come early to the UK this year, precisely on December 12 in the form of a UK general election.

It's far from certain however that the polls will deliver anything on Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn's wish list but less than 48 hours ahead of Halloween, investors aren't spooked by the prospect of the process going all wrong.

The pound is roughly stable at 1.2870 and according to IG, financial spreadbetters expect London's FTSE to open just 7 points lower, so nothing dramatic there indeed.

Frankfurt's DAX is also seen retreating slightly at the open by 25 points but Paris is should be flat.

With Wall Street on and off record highs, the Fed's meeting today and the expected interest rate cut will be key, especially after it emerged that Washington and Beijing may not complete their interim trade agreement in time to sign in Chile next month.

Amid all that news let us not forget that we are in for one of the busiest day of the Q3 season with a flurry of results such as Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Suez or Total.

Last but not least, there will also be a deluge of indicators from the euro zone which should shed more light on whether there is light to be seen at the end of the macro gloom tunnel.

(Julien Ponthus)

***** (Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan)