Investing.com - European stock markets were lower on Monday, as ongoing concerns over the debt crisis in the single currency bloc continued to weigh on market sentiment.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.20%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.20%, while Germany’s DAX 30 shed 0.59%.
Sentiment remained under pressure amid concerns over rising borrowing costs in the euro zone, as investors looked ahead to government debt auctions by Spain and Italy later in the week.
Markets were also jittery after German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday the International Monetary Fund was losing confidence in Greece's ability to shore up its public finances and work off its mountain of debt.
Financial stocks were mixed as shares in German Deutsche Bank rose 0.19% and French lender BNP Paribas climbed 0.42%, while Societe Generale declined 0.51%.
Meanwhile, shares in Unicredit were down 5.87% after suffering double-digit losses for three straight days last week, when it announced a massive discount on a rights issue.
On the upside, Spanish lenders were among the top gainers with Banco Santander surging 1.28% and BBVA jumping 0.98%.
In London, FTSE 100 fell 0.30%.
Shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland climbed 0.24% and HSBC Holdings rose 0.51%, while Lloyds Banking and Barclays lost 0.30% and 0.23% respectively.
Elsewhere, energy stocks were also higher with International Power rising 0.77% and Fresnillo surging 1.26%.
However, mining giants Bhp Billiton and Rio Tinto retreated 0.38% and 0.46% respectively.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a mixed open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a fall of -%, S&P 500 futures signaled a -% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a -% rise.
Later Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were to discuss proposals to increase fiscal coordination in the single currency bloc.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.20%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.20%, while Germany’s DAX 30 shed 0.59%.
Sentiment remained under pressure amid concerns over rising borrowing costs in the euro zone, as investors looked ahead to government debt auctions by Spain and Italy later in the week.
Markets were also jittery after German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday the International Monetary Fund was losing confidence in Greece's ability to shore up its public finances and work off its mountain of debt.
Financial stocks were mixed as shares in German Deutsche Bank rose 0.19% and French lender BNP Paribas climbed 0.42%, while Societe Generale declined 0.51%.
Meanwhile, shares in Unicredit were down 5.87% after suffering double-digit losses for three straight days last week, when it announced a massive discount on a rights issue.
On the upside, Spanish lenders were among the top gainers with Banco Santander surging 1.28% and BBVA jumping 0.98%.
In London, FTSE 100 fell 0.30%.
Shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland climbed 0.24% and HSBC Holdings rose 0.51%, while Lloyds Banking and Barclays lost 0.30% and 0.23% respectively.
Elsewhere, energy stocks were also higher with International Power rising 0.77% and Fresnillo surging 1.26%.
However, mining giants Bhp Billiton and Rio Tinto retreated 0.38% and 0.46% respectively.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a mixed open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a fall of -%, S&P 500 futures signaled a -% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a -% rise.
Later Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were to discuss proposals to increase fiscal coordination in the single currency bloc.