The main European stock markets closed mixed this evening, with trading said to be sluggish in the absence of activity in London and on Wall Street, where stock markets were closed for public holidays.
In Paris, the CAC fell 0.2% to finish at 3,508, while Frankfurt's DAX added 0.3% to 5,946, led by exporting companies. Madrid's benchmark IBEX fell 0.8%, with banks Santander and BBVA losing around 1% after Friday's downgrade of Spain's credit rating.
Dublin's ISEQ index ended up nine points (0.3%) at 2,948. Shares in Ryanair climbed 2.8% to €3.38 ahead of its annual results tomorrow, but banks were weaker. AIB dropped 1% to €1.03, while Bank of Ireland lost 2.7% to 72 cent. Elan gained just over 4% to €4.76.
Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei index ended just six points higher at 9,769 after a mixed session weighed down by euro zone worries after Spain's credit rating downgrade on Friday. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped two points to close at 19,765.
