By Investors Hub
European stocks have moved sideways on Monday even as Spanish shares surged, reassured by a weekend poll suggesting faltering support for Catalan nationalists. Investors also looked ahead to key central bank meetings this week for directional cues.
While the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index is down by 0.3 percent, the French CAC 40 Index is marginally higher and the German DAX Index is up by 0.2 percent.
HSBC Holdings has dropped despite the Asia-focused lender reporting a significantly higher third-quarter profit, benefiting from growth in its three main global businesses.
Budget airline easyJet has also rallied after it agreed to acquire part of Air Berlin’s operations at Berlin Tegel Airport for a consideration of 40 million euros.
Spanish bank Bankia has advanced after reporting a 1 percent increase in net profit for the first nine months of the year.
Meanwhile, Swiss drugmaker Novartis has dipped after it offered to buy France’s Advanced Accelerator Applications in a $3.9 billion cash deal.
In economic news, German retail sales grew 4.1 percent year-on-year in September, the biggest in four months, official data showed. Economists had forecast sales to rise 3.2 percent following the revised 3 percent increase in August.
Another report showed that Germany’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at an adjusted 3.6 percent in September.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Dipo Olowookere