Europe Stocks Steady; H&M Up After Sales Data

European stock markets opened mostly flat on Monday, in the last full week of trading before Christmas, amid some hopeful signs out of the U.S.

that the Republicans may be willing to discuss tax rises. In Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide victory.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index was flat at 279.20, while the German DAX 30 index was also unchanged at 7,601.09 and the FTSE 100 index was steady at 5,916.59.

The French CAC 40 index fell 0.2% to 3,634.28. Shares of Hennes & Mauritz SE rose 1.2% after the retailer posted fourth-quarter sales numbers.

Marketwatch