BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks edged lower on Monday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out new lockdown rules set to come into force in England this week.
He only announced a few minor changes to the lockdown, with many restrictions set to last for at least another two months.
Meanwhile, some 17 new Covid-19 cases were reported on the Chinese mainland, including 10 local transmissions on Monday, raising concerns of a second wave of the disease in China.
Elsewhere, South Korea has reported 35 new virus cases, the highest daily spike since April 9.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 29 points, or 0.49 percent, at 5,906 as trading resumed after a long holiday weekend.
AstraZeneca was little changed after announcing a trio of developments regarding treatments for gastric and ovarian cancer as well as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Specialty chemicals maker Victrex fell over 1 percent after posting a fall in first-half profit and warning that the Covid-19 pandemic is beginning to hit its forward order book.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX