INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
MILAN: European shares steadied near 4-week highs on Monday as investors expected there would be no immediate escalation in Syria following
the weekend's US-led strike.
The pan-regional STOXX 600 index was down 0.05 per cent by 0715 GMT, while other European benchmarks were also
Euronext said price levels for the CAC and other indexes were not available for technical reasons.
"Saturday's operation was a limited one,
and intended to be a one-off as President Trump declared 'mission accomplished'
Many feared the attack would probably lead to a broader confrontation, but the conducted strike was not strong enough to bring Russian
retaliation," said Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist at FXTM.
Caution however dominated as tensions between Western powers and Russia
persisted.
On the corporate front, shares in WPP fell 2.3 per cent after chief executive and founder Martin Sorrell quit, leaving the group
without a boss at a time of huge change in the industry.
Top STOXX gainer was Whitbread, up 6.3 per cent after US activist investor Elliott
Management said it now held the largest stake in the coffee-shop operator.
Software AG was among the leading fallers, down 4.2 per cent
Traders said the fall was due to weaker-than-expected quarterly revenues at its Digital Business Platform business
