PARIS: European stock markets steadied at the open Tuesday before a US Federal Reserve meeting and after the Bank of Japan hiked interest rates for the first time since 2007.
London’s FTSE 100 was flat at 7,725.29 points while the Paris CAC 40 was also little changed at 8,150.60 points.
Frankfurt’s DAX was down less than 0.1 percent at 17,922.01 points.
The yen weakened and Tokyo stocks rose Tuesday after the Bank of Japan hiked interest rates for the first time in 17 years as it shifted away from its long-running ultra-loose monetary policy.
The Fed, meanwhile, is widely expected to keep its lending rate unchanged again on Wednesday.
The Fed has raised interest rates to a 23-year high of between 5.25 and 5.50 percent as it looks to return inflation firmly to its long-term target of two percent.