Investing.com - European stocks remained mostly higher in thin trade on Monday, as no major economic reports were due out from the euro zone, while investors continued to monitor developments in the Middle East and Ukraine.
During European afternoon trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 rose 0.25%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.42%, while Germany’s DAX fell 0.12%.
In Gaza, fighting slightly subsided on Sunday after Hamas Islamist militants said they backed a 24-hour humanitarian truce in light of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.
Meanwhile, the European Union agreed to impose economic sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis. Moscow reacted to the sanctions by warning that they would hamper cooperation on global security issues.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) gained 0.38% and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) slid 0.38% in France, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) declined 0.49%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) added 0.30% and 0.37% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) fell 0.33% and 0.50%.
Elsewhere, Danone (PARIS:DANO) rallied 1.27% amid reports the French consumer products maker is in talks with Hospira as a potential buyer for a medical nutrition unit.
On the downside, Wincor Nixdorf (XETRA:WING) saw shares plunge 8.22% after the maker of automated teller machines posted third-quarter revenue that misses analysts' estimates.
In London, FTSE 100 edged up 0.15%, still led by Reckitt Benckiser (LONDON:RB), up 3.40%, after the company said it plans to spin off its pharmaceutical business.
Ryanair (LONDON:RYA) added to gains, surging 4% after the airliner lifted its fiscal full-year profit goal and posted first-quarter profit that more than doubled.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were mostly higher. Shares in Barclays (LONDON:BARC) gained 0.46% and Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) advanced 0.51%, while HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) rallied 1.26%. The Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) underperformed however, down 2.69%.
In the mining sector, stocks turned broadly lower. Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) retreated 0.67% and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) tumbled 0.92%, while Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) and Polymetal (LONDON:POLYP) plummeted 1.89% and 2.21%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately lower open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.09% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.09% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.05% dip.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on pending home sales.