LIVE MARKETS-Morning call: Trade tensions set to drag European shares lower

March 2 (Reuters) - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets

brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Danilo Masoni. Reach him on

Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: danilo.masoni.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

TRADE TENSIONS SET TO DRAG EUROPEAN SHARES LOWER (0617 GMT)

Good morning. European shares are set to open lower today following losses in Asia and Wall

Street on worries over a possible trade war after President Donald Trump announced the United (Shenzhen: 000925.SZ - news)

States would impose hefty tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

"25% tariffs on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminium imports has raised concerns of

countermeasures from China and the EU in response and is likely to see European stocks, which

had already been struggling ahead of this weekend's Italian election and important SPD vote in

Germany,... open sharply lower over concerns that costs will rise and profit margins will get

hit sharply," says Michael Hewson, Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets (LSE: CMCX.L - news) .

Here your morning calls, courtesy of CMC (BSE: CMC.BO - news) .

FTSE100 is expected to open 45 points lower at 7,130

DAX is expected to open 120 points lower at 12,070

CAC40 is expected to open 33 points lower at 5,229

(Danilo Masoni)

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