British News Agency

According to the analysts, the U.K.’s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 12 points lower at 8,240, Germany’s DAX down 7 points at 19,351, France’s CAC down 12 points at 7,568 and Italy’s FTSE MIB up 6 points at 34,144. There are no major earnings or data releases on Monday.

The region’s major indexes closed higher on Friday as investors assessed U.K. growth figures and looked ahead to China's fiscal stimulus announcement over the weekend.

In a press briefing on Saturday, China’s Minister of Finance Lan Fo’an hinted at more debt issuance amid efforts to shore up the economy, stating the government had a “rather large” space to increase the deficit.

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Monday, and China stocks were volatile as investors assessed the weekend press briefing.

Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures were little changed in overnight trading Sunday as investors waited to assess whether the next batch of key corporate earnings could power the market to more records; Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson report their latest results on Tuesday, before the market opens, while Morgan Stanley and United Airlines are set to release results on Wednesday.