Milan's FTSE MIB up 0.66%, Madrid's IBEX 35 0.72% higher (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milan , 23 Aug - European share prices were higher in early trade, as investors looked ahead to a speech later today from Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell for indications on US interest rate policy.

While the Fed is widely expected to cut rates in September, some investors expecta rate cut of as much as 0.50 percentage points could be possible. Most, however, still anticipate a 0.25 percentage point cut.

And in Europe, expectations are growing that the ECB could also trim rates shortly, as wage growth brakes and the central bank's minutes indicate that September could be a good time to reconsider rate policy.

At 0728 GMT, London's FTSE 100 was up 0.26% to 8,309.26 points while in Frankfurt the DAX added 0.29% to 18,549.05 points and in Paris the CAC 40 was 0.40% higher at 7,554.18 points. Milan's FTSE MIB was up 0.66% at 33,531.00 points while Madrid's IBEX 35 was 0.72% higher at 11,237.15 points.

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(RADIOCOR) 23-08-24 09:38:46 (0173) 5 NNNN