Mergers and acquisitions activity drove the European markets again on Monday, with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 down, but only by 0.19 point to 1,396.26 after rising to 1,402.90 during the session.
In the retail sector, Ahold was 0.1 percent lower to €8.37 after early gains after it was reported that private equity could be interested in its US food service operations. The reports said that the Dutch retailer is thinking about either selling or floating its US business. It is also currently in discussions with Delhaize concerning a possible merger.
Politics were also a factor in at least some sectors. Telekom Austria dropped 7.8 percent to €18.35 on a downgrade from “buy” to “neutral” by UBS, which also lowered the telecom’s target share price from €23.80 to €21.40 in the wake of an apparent election win by the Social Democrats. Bear Stearns, however, did not change it’s “outperform” rating even though it acknowledged that the telecom could suffer weakness in the near future due to the election results.
Utilities remained in focus as M&A rumors continue in the sector. Endsea was 1.2 percent lower to €33.15, but Enel gained 0.2 percent to €7.21, Eon was up 0.3 percent to €93.76, and RWE added 1 percent to €73.50. In addition, Energias de Portugal advanced 2.6 percent to €3.51 although it denied reports that it was thinking of attempting a merger with Gas Natural, which added 1.3 percent to €29.12.