Brussels, October 28 (QNA) - European stocks opened mixed on Wednesday, as investors awaited corporate earnings and remained cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision, while seeking to assess the outlook for interest rates and their impact on markets. 
The broader European STOXX 600 index fell 0.1 percent in its latest trading, while the UK's FTSE 100 index declined 0.18 percent. 
In contrast, France's CAC 40 index rose 0.23 percent, Germany's DAX index gained 0.11 percent, and Italy's FTSE MIB index advanced 0.30 percent. 
Markets widely expect the US Federal Reserve to leave interest rates unchanged later on Wednesday, within a range of 3.75 percent to 4 percent. 
Rising oil prices and continued strength in US economic data are bolstering expectations of a possible tightening of monetary policy at a later stage. Futures pricing indicates an 80 percent probability of a 25-basis-point interest rate increase at the next meeting in December. 
Markets are awaiting results from US companies Alphabet and Microsoft, scheduled to be announced after trading closes on the New York Stock Exchange today, in search of indications regarding cloud computing revenue growth and the returns generated by massive investments in artificial intelligence and data centers. 
The European Central Bank is scheduled to announce its monetary policy decision tomorrow, Thursday, as investors monitor inflation developments in the euro area and the course of interest rates in the coming period. (QNA)