European stocks closed with a small loss on Monday, as drops by Deutsche Börse AG, Direct Line Insurance Group PLC and PostNL NV weighed on the region's main benchmark. Investors appeared to avoid big bets ahead of a key speech Tuesday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been credited with sparking a global rally but hasn't yet detailed his plans for boosting the world's largest economy.

U.S. stocks overcame early weakness to push further into record territory on Monday, with the Dow industrials posting a 12th straight record close as investors await a speech Tuesday night by President Donald Trump.

Investors in Asia regained their risk appetite on Tuesday, catching an updraft from gains in U.S. markets, ahead of Donald Trump's speech to Congress. The Nikkei Stock Average NIK, +0.64% rebounded from Monday's losses to stand 0.7% ahead in midday trading, shrugging off poor economic data. Japan posted its first drop in industrial output in six months in January, as production of cars fell and the Lunar New Year holiday lowered demand from China, an important export market.