Monday saw a little increase in European markets as a truncated trading week in the lead-up to Christmas got underway.
The majority of sectors were in positive territory during morning trading, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index up 0.4%.
Due to European markets closing early on Christmas Eve and staying closed on Christmas Day, trading is anticipated to be somewhat quiet in the lead-up to Christmas.
After investors digested a press conference about the merger of Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan, Asia-Pacific markets began the week on a high note.
On Monday, the automakers said they had started the merger negotiations. As of 9:08 a.m. London time, shares of Renault, a French company that holds a minority holding in Nissan, were down about 0.7%.
Back in Europe, updated data revealed that the U.K. economy stagnated in the third quarter of this year, with GDP expanding by zero percent in the three months leading up to September.
Source (CNBC)
