Investing.com - European stocks were steady on Monday, as markets marked a pause after Friday's rally and investors remained cautious ahead of the release of manufacturing activity data from the euro zone.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 dipped 0.06%, France’s CAC 40 eased 0.08%, while Germany's DAX inched up 0.06%.
Global equities strengthened broadly on Friday after the Bank of Japan said it would raise its monetary base target to an annual increase of ¥80 trillion from ¥60-70 trillion yen in order to increase the chances of approaching its inflation goal.
Earlier Monday, Markit research group said that Spain's manufacturing purchasing managers' index remained unchanged at 52.6 in October, compared to expectations for a fall to 52.3.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) slipped 0.24% and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) added 0.12% in France, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) edged up 0.15%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) gained 0.17% and 0.64% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) slid 0.29% and 0.54%.
Elsewhere, Publicis (PARIS:PUBP) plummeted 3.02% after the French advertising holding company agreed to acquire Sapient Corporation (NASDAQ:SAPE) in an all-cash transaction for $25.00 per share, valuing the U.S. digital advertising specialist at $3.7 billion.
In London, FTSE 100 eased 0.04%, weighed by sharp losses in the financial sector.
Shares in Barclays (LONDON:BARC) slipped 0.23% and Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) declined 0.43%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) tumbled 1.57% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) plunged 2.08%.
On the upside, Tesco (LONDON:TSCO) climbed 0.55% amid reports the retailer has begun exploring the possible sale of a stake in its banking arm as part of its plan to raise billions of pounds in additional capital.
Ryanair (LONDON:RYA) added to gains, as shares soared 8.58% after the low-cost airliner hiked its annual profit forecast almost 20%, helped by a surge in winter bookings after the company introduced a series of customer service improvements.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed. Shares in Randgold Resources (LONDON:RRS) and Fresnillo (LONDON:FRES) advanced 0.82% and 0.86% respectively, while Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) shed 0.30%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to lower open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.11% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled an 0.08% loss, while the NASDAQ 100 futures indicated a 0.06% dip.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish a report by the Institute of Supply Management on manufacturing activity.