LONDON — European stocks are expected to open higher on Monday as global markets digest the latest growth data out of China.

The U.K. FTSEIndex opens 22 points higher than its previous 7,565, Germany. DAX 47 points higher at 15,930, France’s CAC 40 up 20 points at 7,163 and Italy’s FTSE MIBData from IG shows that the number of points was 49 higher at 27593,

The latest China gross domestic product data will be available to Asia Pacific and Europe’s markets on Monday. This official data showed that China, the second largest economy in the world, grew more quickly than was expected between December and October. The U.S. market will be closed Monday due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Chinese shares rose Monday in a mixed trading session across the Asia-PacificWith the Shanghai composite adding 0.32% while the Shenzhen component gained 0.89%.

Numbers from China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed the Chinese economy grew by 8.1% in 2021, slightly below the market’s expectation for around 8.4% growth for the year. China’s fourth quarter GDP grew by 4% over a year, surpassing a Reuters poll which predicted a 3.6% rise. Retail sales saw a slower growth, although industrial production rose above expectations.

Economists had expected Monday’s data will show that there was a decline in growth. It could also be due to China’s stringent measures to control the omicron Covid variant, problems in China’s property sector, and slowing consumption.

On Monday in Europe, investors will pay close attention to the Eurogroup meeting between finance ministers in Brussels. On Monday, data will be released in Europe including Germany’s GDP for the full year and Italy’s consumer prices data. Also, final inflation data from December for the Euro zone.

— CNBC’s Saheli Roy Choudhury contributed to this market report.