Europe open: Stocks tread water ahead of Fed rate decision

Stocks across the Continent were trading water overall on Wednesday as investors waited on the US central bank's policy announcement scheduled for later in the day and a raft of corporate earnings Stateside over coming days.

"Another quiet morning for data leaves investors waiting for the US session to begin, with 48 hours packed full of news to help put the market on a more directional footing," said IG chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp.

"But will it be higher or lower? There is enough happening to provide fuel for a move in either direction, particularly as August nears and volumes drop. As a result many will likely step aside to let the market set the tone, with a clearer picture likely to emerge perhaps by Friday, and if not then early next week."

Against that backdrop, as of 1100 BST the benchmark Stoxx 600 was edging up by 0.1% to 368.06, alongside a 0.74% rise for France's Cac-40 to 12,832.20, while the FTSE Mibtel was going the other way, giving back 0.78% to 19,746.67.

The German Dax meanwhile was flat at 12,835.12.

Euro/dollar was edging up 0.26% to 1.1747 alongside while December gold futures were adding 0.3% to $1,969.7/oz..

It was light day in terms of the economic calendar.

France's national statistics office, INSEE, reported a decline in its consumer confidence index from a reading of 96.0 points for June to 94.0 in July.