-Banks deposited 233bn euros overnight at ECB
-Investors awaiting Spanish and Italian Treasury debt auctions

FTSE-100: 0.03%
Dax-30: 0.03%
Cac-40: -0.50%
FTSE Mibtel: 0.0%
Ibex 35: -0.29%
Stoxx 600: -0.12%

The main European equity benchmarks have started the day in a rather mixed fashion ahead of today's policy meetings at the European Central and Bank of England. While neither is expected to 'make a move' at today's gatherings the situation is quite 'fluid.'

Hence, it will be interesting to see if the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's decision to relax the requirements for bank's liquidity buffers -taken this past Sunday - influences policy makers' decision making process.

Much attention will also be devoted to this morning's Spanish and Italian Treasury debt auctions.

Acting as a backdrop, speaking on Bloomberg TV PIMCO' Andrew Bosomworth forecast that the ECB will cut rates, but not at today's meeting.

Automobile sector revs motor

The minority owner of Chrysler Group LLC on Wednesday pushed the US automaker to take the first step toward becoming a public company again by demanding that company parent Fiat SpA register shares with US regulators, Reuters reports.

Volkswagen has announced that it wishes to take full control over Munich based truck manufacturer Man.

Banque PSA, the financial arm of loss-making French car maker Peugeot, will sign around €5bn (£4,3bn) of loans as part of an €18.5bn debt rescue plan in the next few days, according to bankers.

The best performance from a sector stand-point is now to be seen in the following industrial groups: Automobiles (0.63%), Travel (0.19%) and Industrial Goods&Services (0.17%).

Sharp rise in business confidence
French manufacturing production grew by 0.2% month-on-month in November (Consensus: -0.2%).

The French central bank's business confidence gauge rose to 95 for December from 91 for the previous month (Consensus: 91).

Dutch consumer prices increased to a 2.9% year-on-year rate in December, after a 2.8% pace in the month before (Consensus: 2.6%).

German machinery orders fell by 3% in November, according to business group VDMA.

Slight gains in single currency
The euro/dollar is now edging higher by 0.13% to the 1.3070 dollar mark.

Front month Brent crude futures are rising 0,445 dollars to the 112,26 dollar per barrel mark on the ICE.



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