Markets muted ahead of interest rate decision

Markets across Europe have opened lower ahead of the Bank of England's decision on interest rates today.

The FTSE is down 0.57% to 6,017.79, while the Cac has slipped 0.59% to 4,066.53 and the Dax has marginally fallen 0.32% to 7,297.62. The world's largest drink maker Diageo has taken a beating in early trading, down 4.15% to £12.01 despite announcing a rise in profits, from £1.39bn to £1.61bn in the second half of last year. Elsewhere, Rolls-Royce Group, Standard Life, and ARM Holdings are all down. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones ended trading up slightly at 12,239, the eighth straight day of gains, on the back of continued M&A activity. In Asia, stocks declined for the third da...