Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Investors Hub
European stocks are mixed on Monday, with underlying sentiment supported by easing worries over Catalonia after hundreds of thousands of pro-Spanish unity supporters marched through the streets of Barcelona on Sunday. The day’s economic reports also painted a positive picture of regional economies.
While the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index is down by 0.2 percent, the German DAX Index is up by 1 percent and the French CAC 40 Index is just above the unchanged line.
German industrial output grew 2.6 percent month-on-month in August, reversing a revised 0.1 percent fall in July, official data showed.
Survey results from think tank Sentix showed that Eurozone investor confidence strengthened to a 10-year high in October. The investor confidence index unexpectedly rose to 29.7 from 28.2 in September.
Separately, survey data from Bank of France revealed that the French economy is forecast to grow as previously projected in the third quarter.
Spain’s CaixaBank has rallied after its board agreed to shift its registered domicile out of Catalonia. Building materials and solutions company LafargeHolcim has also moved higher after naming a new CFO.
Similarly, mobile equipment company Ericsson has advanced after appointing former Atlas Copco CEO as its new chairman.
Meanwhile, EasyJet shares have fallen in London after the New York Times reported that the airline’s talks with the insolvent carrier Air Berlin over the sale of up to 30 planes are at risk of falling apart.
Smith & Nephew has also moved lower after saying its CEO Olivier Bohuon would retire by the end of 2018. Airbus has tumbled after its CEO warned of turbulent times ahead.
