BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European markets ended mostly higher on Monday, with investors reacting to quarterly earnings reports from U.S. bank majors Goldman Sachs and Citigroup Inc., besides tracking news on U.S.-China trade talks.
Buying interest in most of the markets was somewhat subdued.
The pan European Stoxx 600 edged up 0.15%. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 ended higher by 0.17% and 0.11%, respectively, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 ended almost unchanged. Switzerland's SMI gained 0.3%.
Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Spain ended higher. Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Czech Republic, Finland and Poland closed weak, while Belgium, Iceland and Sweden ended flat.
In France, shares of advertising group Publicis ended notably higher, lifted by news that the company has acquired a data company Epsilon for a consideration of $4.4 billion.
Atos gained about 3%. Credit Agricole, Bouygues, BNP Paribas and Veolia Environment gained 1 to 2.2%.
In the German market, Wirecard climbed 3.1%. Thyssenkrupp and Lufthansa moved up 1.8% and 1.7%, respectively. Volkswagen ended higher by about 1.1%, while Covestro declined more than 4%.
Paddy Power, EasyJet, Travis Perkins, Prudential, WPP, Coca Cola and Vodafone Group were among the notable gainers in the British market. Compass, Anglo American, Antofagasta and BHP Group declined sharply.
In economic news from Europe, Denmark's producer price inflation slowed in March to the lowest level in a year. Data from Statistics Denmark showed the producer price index climbed 2% year-over-year in March, after rising 3% in February.
Finland's consumer price inflation slowed in March, data from Statistics Finland said. The consumer price index climbed 1.1% in the month, after rising 1.3% in February.
Norway's trade surplus decreased in March, falling to NOK 13.87 billion, from NOK 15.2 billion a month earlier.
Investors were also closely following Brexit-related news.
On the trade front, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that a U.S.-China trade agreement would go 'way beyond' previous efforts to open China's markets to U.S. companies.
Mnuchin told the media on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank that he believed Washington and Beijing are 'getting close to the final round of concluding issues.'
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