The benchmark index of European stocks opened lower on Monday, November 30, amid a focus on negotiations over the Brexit deal, but it is still on track to record its best monthly performance ever thanks to the prospect of easing coronavirus restrictions and the hopes of a Covid-19 vaccine.
After direct talks that began on Saturday, investors were awaiting news of a phone conversation between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which is the first sign of a move towards either a trade deal or the collapse of the talks before a deadline of five weeks.
The British FTSE100 index fell 0.3%, while the European Stoxx600 index fell 0.5% after gains that continued over four weeks and saw it rise by about 15% since the beginning of November.