European Stocks Turning In Mixed Performance In Cautious Trading

(RTTNews) - European stocks are turning in a mixed performance in cautious trading on Monday, amid concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East and the independence of the Federal Reserve. With some key economic data from Europe and the U.S. due this week, investors appear reluctant to make big moves.

According to reports, U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options to take action against Iran. Citing U.S. officials, several media outlets said Trump has been shown plans ranging from possible military strikes to action that doesn't include the military.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Sunday that Federal prosecutors opening a criminal investigation related to his Senate Banking Committee testimony on the renovation of Fed office buildings, was another attempt by the U.S. President to influence the Central Bank's monetary policy.

The pan European Stoxx 600 was flat at 609.16 a little while ago. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 4.35 points or 0.04% at 10,120.25 and France's CAC 40 was down 21.77 points or 0.26% at 8,340.32, while Germany's DAX had moved up 102.47 points or 0.41% to 25,360.14.

In the German market, Rheinmetall is rising nearly 3.5%. Fresenius Medical Care is up 2.5% and Zalando is gaining nearly 2%. Fresenius, Beiersdorf, Gea Group, Siemens and Deutsche Bank are among the other major gainers.

Volkswagen, BMW and Porsche Automobil Holding are down 1.3%, 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively. Heidelberg Materials, Qiagen and SAP are lower by 0.6 to 0.7%.

In Paris, Saint Gobain is up 1.75%, Thales is gaining 1.5%, while L'Oreal and Michelin are up 1.1% and 1%, respectively.

Capgemini is declining by more than 4%. Stellantis, Edenred, Bureau Vertas and TP are down 2.2 to 2.8%, while EssilorLuxottica, Legrand, Pernod Ricard and Renault are lower by 0.8 to 1.4%.

Shares of mining companies are moving higher in the UK market. Fresnillo is surging nearly 7%. Endeavour Mining is up 2.2%, Glencore is advancing by 2% and Anglo American Plc is up 1.1%, while Rio Tinto is adding 0.8%.

BAE Systems is climbing up 2.7%. The Sage Group, British American Tobacco, Pershing Square Holdings, Babcock International Weir Group and GSK are also notably higher.

Mondi is down 3.1%. Ashtead Group, Barclays and Land Securities are lower by 2.6 to 3%, while British Land, Severn Trent, United Utilities, IAG, Marks & Spencer, DCC, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Sainsbury (J), 3i Group, Whitbread and Experian are down 1 to 2.3%.

In economic news, a survey by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and KPMH showed hiring by UK employers dropped in December due to rising costs and weak sentiment following the government raising taxes in November.

Eurozone investor confidence improved to a six-month high in January, a survey conducted by the behavioral research institute Sentix showed.

The Sentix investor confidence rose more-than-expected to -1.8 in January from -6.2 in December. The score was forecast to rise moderately to -5.1.

The improvement was driven by the expectations index, which rose to 10.0 from 4.8. Meanwhile, the assessment of the current situation remained subdued at -13.0. Nonetheless, the indicator showed an upward trend, the think tank noted.

"In Germany, there is a small silver lining on the horizon at the start of the year," Sentix said. The investor sentiment index posted -16.4, better than -22.7 in December. Moreover, this was the highest level since August 2025.