Banks gain in Europe

Equities markets in Europe saw gains on the continent but were lower in London on Monday. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.19 percent to 1,630.35. In Paris, the CAC-40 was 0.12 percent higher to 6,125.6, while the Dax gained 0.16 percent to 8,105.69 in Frankfurt and the IBEX was up 0.58 percent to 15,110.4 in Madrid. Banks were higher on mergers & acquisitions activity. Carmakers and the pharmaceuticals sector also saw gains. Utilities were mixed, while the steel and oil sectors saw declines.

In London, the FTSE 100 dropped 0.28 percent to 6,697.7, while the FTSE 250 was 0.05 percent lower to 11,917.3. The oil and mining sectors were lower. Meanwhile, pharmaceuticals, banks, publishers, and property developers all saw gains on the session.

Markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mostly lower on Monday. The main exception was in India, where the Sensex added 0.25 percent to 15,311.22. In Australia, the Sydney Ordinaries dropped 0.11 percent to 6,418.4. The Straits Times index in Singapore was 0.35 percent lower to 3, 652.23, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng index fell 0.63 percent to 22.953.94. The Tokyo markets were closed for the Maritime Day holiday.

In early afternoon trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had added 0.51 percent to 13,977.73, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.07 percent to 2,708.96 and the S&P 500 was 0.08 percent higher to 1,553.9. Mergers and takeover possibilities left the casual dining sector mixed on the session, while the manufacturing sector saw some record high share prices based on anticipation of upcoming quarterly reports. Toy makers were higher on news of higher profits.

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