Europe Markets

Europe ends mixed after Paris attacks; tourism stocks weigh

Europe ends mixed after Paris attacks
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Europe ends mixed after Paris attacks

European equities ended mixed to slightly higher Monday as investors digested the potential impact of a series of terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed slightly higher, up 0.2 to 0.3 percent provisionally, boosted by trade in the U.S.

London's FTSE 100 closed 0.5 percent higher, while France's CAC and Germany's DAX closed around the flat line.

Paris terror attacks: Market response

European markets


France has been rocked by a series of co-ordinated terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night that left 129 dead and hundreds injured.

The Islamist militant group that calls itself "Islamic State" claimed responsibility for the attacks. France responded at the weekend by launching air strikes against IS targets in Syria.

Travel and leisure stocks were the worst hit—finishing down 1.4 percent as a sector—as markets opened Monday morning as investor confidence took a hit after Friday's attacks. Travel agent, Thomas Cook closed down 4.8 percent, while Eurotunnel fell 3 percent by the close.

Air France planes are parked on the tarmac of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport.
Airlines, tourism stocks under pressure after Paris

French hotel group Accor ended trade 4.7 percent down, making it the worst performer on France's CAC index, and luxury goods brands LVMH and Kering were also among the worst performers, closing trade 1.4 percent and 0.7 percent lower respectively.

Airlines were also hit hard on Monday, with Paris-listed Air France-KLM down near the bottom of the STOXX 600, closing 5.7 percent lower. Shares of Ryanair finished down 1.4 percent, Lufthansa down 2.3 percent and International Airlines Group was 2.8 percent lower.

Oil prices under pressure

Despite a lower open, revised inflation data helped offset European markets slightly, as data showed the rate of price growth in the euro zone was 0.1 percent in October, up from an initial reading of zero.

Oil stocks bucked the trend on Monday, following a sharp selloff in the previous week. Seadrill led the top of the STOXX 600, ending up 7.5 percent, while Petrofac and Tullow Oil also closed sharply higher, both up 2.8 and 3.2 percent respectively.

French police officers stand guard in front of Notre Dame in Paris, France on November 15, 2015, following the terrorist attack.
Hollande calls for constitutional change to combat terrorism

While geopolitical concerns helped boost oil on Monday, prices came under sharp pressure from global crude glut concerns in later trade. Economic impact following the Paris attack added to investor woes. Brent crude prices dipped $1.22 to $43.23, while U.S. crude dipped slightly, down at $40.23 a barrel around the close.

At the bottom of markets, Swiss firm Sonova fell 7.8 percent after cutting its sales and profit forecasts due to several factors including weak cochlear implant sales and sluggish business with U.S. veterans, Reuters reported.