Investing.com - European stocks were steady on Monday, as investor confidence remained supported by new signs of progress in handling the debt crisis in the euro zone, while markets eyed the release of key U.S. economic growth data.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 inched up 0.01%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.08%, while Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.07%.
Sentiment strengthened on Friday after the European Central Bank said euro zone banks are to repay EUR137.2 billion in emergency loans this week, indicating that liquidity pressure in the bloc has eased.
Investor confidence was also boosted by a report showing that Germany’s Ifo index of business confidence improved to a seven-month high in January, adding to signs of a recovery in the euro zone’s largest economy.
Traders remained cautious ahead of U.S. data on fourth quarter growth and the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy statement on Wednesday and U.S. nonfarm payrolls data on Friday.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as shares in French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale rose 0.19% and 0.50%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank advanced 0.33% and 0.42% respectively.
Peripheral lenders added to gains, with Spanish banks BBVA and Banco Santander adding 0.13% and 0.31%, while Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo rallied 0.81% and 0.94%.
Elsewhere, semiconductor-equipment supplier ASML Holding surged 3.05%, after the company was raised to "buy" from "neutral" at Citigroup.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.21%, as U.K. lenders tracked their European counterparts higher.
Shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland inched up 0.03% and Lloyds Banking added 0.21%, while HSBC Holdings climbed 0.53% and Barclays advanced 0.70%.
Also on the upside, mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were up 0.08% and 0.07% respectively, while rival company Eurasian Natural Resources jumped 1.36%.
Debenhams trended lower on the other hand, plunging 3.80%, as Morgan Stanley cut its recommendation on the department-store chain to "equal-weight" from "overweight".
Separately, Morgan Stanley lowered its rating on the U.K. general retail industry to “cautious.”
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.07% increase, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.05% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.03% gain.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release government data on durable goods orders, as well as private sector data on pending home sales.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 inched up 0.01%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.08%, while Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.07%.
Sentiment strengthened on Friday after the European Central Bank said euro zone banks are to repay EUR137.2 billion in emergency loans this week, indicating that liquidity pressure in the bloc has eased.
Investor confidence was also boosted by a report showing that Germany’s Ifo index of business confidence improved to a seven-month high in January, adding to signs of a recovery in the euro zone’s largest economy.
Traders remained cautious ahead of U.S. data on fourth quarter growth and the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy statement on Wednesday and U.S. nonfarm payrolls data on Friday.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as shares in French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale rose 0.19% and 0.50%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank advanced 0.33% and 0.42% respectively.
Peripheral lenders added to gains, with Spanish banks BBVA and Banco Santander adding 0.13% and 0.31%, while Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo rallied 0.81% and 0.94%.
Elsewhere, semiconductor-equipment supplier ASML Holding surged 3.05%, after the company was raised to "buy" from "neutral" at Citigroup.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.21%, as U.K. lenders tracked their European counterparts higher.
Shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland inched up 0.03% and Lloyds Banking added 0.21%, while HSBC Holdings climbed 0.53% and Barclays advanced 0.70%.
Also on the upside, mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were up 0.08% and 0.07% respectively, while rival company Eurasian Natural Resources jumped 1.36%.
Debenhams trended lower on the other hand, plunging 3.80%, as Morgan Stanley cut its recommendation on the department-store chain to "equal-weight" from "overweight".
Separately, Morgan Stanley lowered its rating on the U.K. general retail industry to “cautious.”
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.07% increase, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.05% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.03% gain.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release government data on durable goods orders, as well as private sector data on pending home sales.