European equities end Monday on a positive note, FTSE posts meagre gains

• European equity markets see slight gains on Monday as risk appetite improves cautiously.
• London's FTSE index lags behind its European counterparts but manages to eke out a green printing.
• Mixed economic data continues to plague European risk sentiment, and the economic calendar represents an uphill climb.

European indexes are closing off their Monday trading sessions broadly higher on the day, though recent swings in risk sentiment have soured the potential for upside momentum.

FTSE lags European indexes, but chalks in a slight gain

London’s Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 index is mostly flat for Monday, ending the trading day near £7,513.00, only a few points above the day’s opening bids of £7,505.00. The day saw back and forth action that failed to generate meaningful moves in either direction as United Kingdom (UK) equities grapple with a dovish Bank of England (BoE) mired in softening economic data for the UK economy.

Across the Channel, European markets were notably firmer, with the Eurostoxx 50 blue chip index and Germany’s DAX index both closing higher for the day. The Eurostoxx 50 opened the day near €4.240.00, reaching an intraday high of €4,279.00 before ending the trading day nearby at €4,264.00.

Germany’s DAX saw similar upside momentum, opening at €15,743.00 and reaching a peak of €15, 851.00 in early Monday trading before giving up half the day’s gains to settle near the €15,800.00 level.

European equities will be looking to establish a foothold and mount moves higher after succumbing to declines in broader market sentiment in recent weeks. However, the upside sees increasing difficulties as resistance levels consolidate just above.

Eurostoxx 50 technical outlook

The Eurostoxx 50 index sees a grouping of resistance levels from late August’s peak near €4,340.00, and risk-off flows saw the index slump to familiar lows near €4,180.00. Things are currently hung in the middle as bulls and bears fight to a standstill at familiar levels that have plagued the index for seven months.

Eurostoxx 50 chart