European markets have opened lower today, as growing concerns over rising bad loans in China’s biggest banks and data showing a surge in China’s benchmark money-market rate, overshadowed optimism that the US Federal Reserve might maintain its stimulus measures for an extended period of time.

Closer home, investors await the release of the minutes of the Bank of England’s latest monetary policy meeting and BBA mortgage approvals data, due later today, to gauge the direction of market movement.

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