European Markets Close On Mixed Note

(RTTNews) - European markets turned in a mixed performance on Monday as investors appeared reluctant to make significant moves ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays.

Positive developments on the U.S.-China trade front continued to aid sentiment, but the upcoming holiday season prompted investors to take some profits and rendered the markets a bit sluggish.

The pan European Stoxx 600 edged down 0.03%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.54%, France's CAC 40 gained 0.13% and Switzerland's SMI ended up 0.42%, while Germany's DAX declined 0.13%.

Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, Poland, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine ended higher.

Belgium, Italy, Netherlands and Spain closed weak, while Portugal and Sweden ended flat.

In the U.K. market, NMC Health soared nearly 37%, after suffering sharp losses last week. The stock plunged in recent sessions after the company announced an independent review of its business following an attack from short-selling hedge fund Muddy Waters.

Pearson gained about 5%. Bunzi, Coca Cola, Carnival, British Land Company, Land Securities, Ocado and Burberry Group gained 2 to 3%.

EasyJet, BT Group and Prudential ended weak.

In the French market, Accor, Technip, Louis Vuitton, Thales, Dassault Systemes and Publicis Groupe ended with sharp to moderate gains, while Renault, Peugeot, ArcelorMittal, BNP Paribas and Societe Generale closed weak.

Drug maker Sanofi edged down marginally. The company announced that it has commenced a tender offer to acquire all shares of Synthorx, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, for $68 per share in cash.

In Germany, Deutsche Bank declined more than 2%. Deutsche Post and Lufthansa both gained about 1.3%.

Bayer ended nearly 3% up. HeidelbergCement and Merck also ended on a firm note.

In economic news, Germany's import prices declined at a slower pace in November on weak energy prices, data from Destatis revealed Monday.

On a yearly basis, import prices decreased by less-than-expected 2.1%, following a 3.5% fall in October. A similar slower fall was last seen in July. Prices were expected to decline 2.3%.

The annual drop was largely driven by a 12.9% decrease in energy prices. Excluding energy, import prices were 0.6% below the level of November 2018. Compared to October, prices dropped 0.1%.