Europe's main stock markets were down at the start of trading on Tuesday, as they awaited a speech by Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed), following perceived restrictive comments by US central bank officials.

In Paris, the CAC 40 lost 0.57% to 6,867.91 points around 08:40 GMT. In London, the FTSE 100 gave up 0.34% and in Frankfurt, the Dax was down 0.35%.

The EuroStoxx 50 index was down by 0.42%, the FTSEurofirst 300 by 0.61% and the Stoxx 600 by 0.61%.

Statements by two Fed officials on Monday evening took the wind out of the sails of European markets, which hit new highs on Monday.

Mary Daly and Raphael Bostic rekindled fears about monetary tightening by the US central bank, stating that rates are likely to remain high - above 5% - for an extended period.

After a scattered close, Wall Street could open slightly lower, according to index futures.

Investors are awaiting the release of US consumer price data on Thursday and the Fed Chairman's speech at 14:00 GMT, which analysts expect to call for more time to determine whether inflation is now under control in the US.

"US equity futures are in the negative this morning, as the king of market disappointment, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, will be speaking at an event in Stockholm, and he's unlikely to break out the champagne just because wages rose less than expected in December, especially when you consider that the US economy created a near-record 4.5 million jobs last year and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%," said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank.

On the value side, Spie lost 4.92%. The group announced the launch of an Ornane issue for a nominal amount of 400 million euros.

EssilorLuxottica lost 3.01% after RBC lowered its recommendation to "underperform", and Valeo 2.18% after Goldman Sachs downgraded its rating to "neutral".

Renault gained 1.14%. The automaker announced the signature of a strategic partnership with PUNCH Torino for low-emission diesel engines. (Laetitia Volga, edited by Blandine Hénault)