LIVE MARKETS-Europe before the bell: Futures up on first 'proper' day back

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EUROPE BEFORE THE BELL: FUTURES UP ON FIRST 'PROPER' DAY BACK

It's the first day after the Christmas and New Year break when it's fair to assume most traders are back at their desks, and whether that means more is going to happen, or that greater liquidity will smooth out the flow, time will tell.

For now, European stocks are heading for a higher, open with STOXX 50 futures up 0.57% STXEc1, taking their cue from gains in the U.S. on Friday. Most European futures are in the green, but the FTSE looks set to underperform, with futures just in negative territory.

It's also the first week of significant economic data, with German inflation numbers later Monday, ahead of euro zone figures Tuesday, and it's jobs week State-side, building up to non farm payrolls on Friday.

It's fairly light on the company news front. One development that will draw eyes given the focus on German and Chinese automakers, is China's Xpeng Motors 9868.HK and Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE agreeing to expand their partnership to cooperate on ultra-fast electric vehicle charging networks in China.

Speaking of figures in the news, Italy is in advanced talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX over a 1.5 billion euro ($1.55 billion) deal for the company to provide secure telecommunications to the government, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.

(Alun John)

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