LIVE MARKETS-Morning call: Stocks to stall as investors eye inflation figures

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MORNING CALL: STOCKS TO STALL AS INVESTORS EYE INFLATION FIGURES (0624 GMT)

Good morning and welcome to Live Markets.

European stocks are called to open slightly lower this morning as investors await inflation

figures from the U.S. and an update on the UK's public finances.

Asian shares lost momentum overnight, trading hesitantly after a weaker session on Wall

Street saw the S&P 500 and Dow slip, while the Nasdaq (Frankfurt: 813516 - news) hit a new record high thanks to a boost in

tech stocks.

The biggest data point on everyone's minds today is U.S. CPI (1230 GMT) which could inform

investors further on the probable pace of Fed rate rises this year.

Today's Spring Statement from Chancellor Philip Hammond is being called a "non-event" by

some. "The only area of real interest could be the updated OBR economic and public spending

forecasts, which could provide a small injection of volatility into the pound," says Jasper

Lawler of LCG in a morning note.

He's expected to announce a small improvement in the UK's slow economic growth outlook.

Spreadbetters call the DAX 13 points lower at 12406, the CAC 40 down 5 points at 5272, and

the FTSE 100 13 points lower at 7202.

(Helen Reid)

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(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Kit Rees, Julien Ponthus, Helen Reid)