Investing.com – European stock markets advanced on Monday, amid increased merger and acquisition activity, while U.S. futures indexes pointed to a higher open on Wall Street.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased up 0.1%, France’s CAC 40 edged 0.07% higher, while Germany's DAX 30 climbed 0.22%.
Shares in French chemicals manufacturer Rhodia soared 48.4% after Belgian chemicals and plastics maker Solvay announced it would acquire the company in a deal valued at EUR3.4 billion. Shares in Solvay climbed 3.1% following the news.
Shares in U.K. mobile-network operator Vodafone gained 2% after it agreed to sell its 44% stake in French mobile operator SFR to French media giant Vivendi for approximately EUR7.95 billion. Vivendi saw shares add 1% on the news.
However, shares in the financial sector performed poorly, dragged down by Italian banks as concerns over likely plans for big capital hikes weighed. Unicredit saw shares slump 1.6%, Intesa Sanpaolo dropped 1.9%, while Monte Paschi, Italy’s fourth biggest bank sank 2.5%.
Across the sector, shares in Commerzbank declined 2.3%, Banco Santander dropped 1.4%, while shares in Societe Generale slipped 0.8%.
In London, the FTSE 100 added 0.2%, as shares in power generator manufacturer Aggreko surged 4.5% after it said it would supply Tokyo Electric Power Company with equipment to generate 200 megawatts of emergency power. TEPCO is the operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Meanwhile, shares in miners performed strongly amid rising metal and oil prices. Mining giant Rio Tinto saw shares rise 1.3%, silver producer Fresnillo jumped 3.1%, while oil major BP climbed 1.5% after oil prices rose to a 30-month high.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.16%, S&P 500 futures indicated an increase of 0.2%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.41%.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke was to speak at a public engagement.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased up 0.1%, France’s CAC 40 edged 0.07% higher, while Germany's DAX 30 climbed 0.22%.
Shares in French chemicals manufacturer Rhodia soared 48.4% after Belgian chemicals and plastics maker Solvay announced it would acquire the company in a deal valued at EUR3.4 billion. Shares in Solvay climbed 3.1% following the news.
Shares in U.K. mobile-network operator Vodafone gained 2% after it agreed to sell its 44% stake in French mobile operator SFR to French media giant Vivendi for approximately EUR7.95 billion. Vivendi saw shares add 1% on the news.
However, shares in the financial sector performed poorly, dragged down by Italian banks as concerns over likely plans for big capital hikes weighed. Unicredit saw shares slump 1.6%, Intesa Sanpaolo dropped 1.9%, while Monte Paschi, Italy’s fourth biggest bank sank 2.5%.
Across the sector, shares in Commerzbank declined 2.3%, Banco Santander dropped 1.4%, while shares in Societe Generale slipped 0.8%.
In London, the FTSE 100 added 0.2%, as shares in power generator manufacturer Aggreko surged 4.5% after it said it would supply Tokyo Electric Power Company with equipment to generate 200 megawatts of emergency power. TEPCO is the operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Meanwhile, shares in miners performed strongly amid rising metal and oil prices. Mining giant Rio Tinto saw shares rise 1.3%, silver producer Fresnillo jumped 3.1%, while oil major BP climbed 1.5% after oil prices rose to a 30-month high.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.16%, S&P 500 futures indicated an increase of 0.2%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.41%.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke was to speak at a public engagement.