European Shares Seen Up Despite Maduro Seizure

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening broadly higher on Monday as oil prices held steady despite political upheaval in OPEC member Venezuela.

After capturing the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, in a military operation, U.S. officials warned they might make a fresh military intervention if interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, did not accommodate their demands.

The secretary of state said the United States will retain "multiple levers of leverage" if Venezuela's leaders don't "make the right decisions".

Also, President Donald Trump raised the possibility of military action in Colombia and warned Mexico 'to get their act together.'

Asian markets were broadly higher as investors looked past U.S. military action over the weekend in Venezuela as well as fresh signs of slowing business growth in China. Key U.S. economic data will shape the week ahead, with investors awaiting cues from the release of the closely watched December jobs report, November job openings data and reports on manufacturing and service sector activity.

October housing starts figures and the University of Michigan's preliminary January consumer sentiment index may also garner investor attention as the week progresses.

The dollar extended gains for a fifth consecutive session while oil prices slipped after OPEC+ decided to keep output unchanged through the first three months of the year.

Gold traded up nearly 2 percent above $4,400 per ounce on safe haven demand amid heightened geopolitical risks.

U.S. stocks fluctuated before ending mostly higher on Friday as Wall Street kicked off trading in 2026 after its third consecutive year of double-digit percentage gains.

While the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged down marginally, the S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent and the Dow added 0.7 percent to snap a four-day losing streak.

European stocks also ended the first trading day of 2026 on a positive note amid optimism around economic growth and prospects of higher military spending in the region.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed about 0.7 percent higher after posting stellar annual gains.

The German DAX and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 both inched up by 0.2 percent while France's CAC 40 advanced 0.6 percent.