European shares closed mixed on Monday, with Greece struck by renewed political uncertainty after its politicians failed to agree on a new president.
France's benchmark CAC 40 stock index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 both posted modest gains on the day, while the German DAX closed flat.
However, stock indexes in "peripheral" Europe underperformed, led by Greece. The Athens index closed down around 3.9 percent, with the Italian FTSE MIB down 1.1 percent and the Spanish IBEX lower by roughly 1 percent.
European markets
Greek stocks and bonds were hit after politicians in the country failed for a third time to endorse Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' preferred candidate. This means that general elections will occur early next year, potentially jeopodizing Greece's hard-won economic recovery.
"A perfect political and economic storm is brewing," said BBH currency strategists led by Marc Chandler in a research note published Monday.
Read MoreGreek stocks tumble as parliament votes
Outside of Greece, the FTSE 100 was boosted by a rally in its heavily weighted basic resources sector. Reports of further liquidity measures in China helped, with miners heavily exposure to the world's second-largest economy.
Stocks that outperformed included BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Rio Tinto, all of which closed up around 2.7 percent.
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