(RTTNews) - The European markets may open on a flat note with a positive bias on Monday, tracking higher U.S. stock futures and mixed Asian stocks. Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.77% to close at a 4-week high on Monday, boosted by exporters such as Honda Motor due to a weaker yen.

However, the Australian market ended down 0.56% and China’s Shanghai Composite is trading flat with a negative bias. The Hong Kong and New Zealand markets were closed for holidays. The Dow futures are currently up 22 points.

On Friday, the Dow and S&P 500 finished lower by more than a percent each despite a number of upbeat corporate earnings releases and positive indicators on the health of the housing market. The Dow futures are now trading up 14 points.

Crude oil futures fell for the third straight day to below $80 a barrel on Monday, as investors continued profit taking on apprehensions about the strength of the global economic recovery.

In corporate news, German car makers Volkswagen AG is offering to rescue Germany’s Karmann, which has been in bankruptcy since April, media reports said on Sunday.

German financial services firm Deutsche Bank AG is poised to clinch a deal to acquire Luxembourg-based private bank Sal. Oppenheim, the Financial Times reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the talks.

U.K. discount retailer Matalan has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers to advise it after receiving several unsolicited takeover approaches by firms, including Luxembourg headquartered CVC Capital Partners, according to reports.

In a memo sent to all cockpit crew, Air France-KLM Group urged its pilots to follow safety procedures more closely, reports suggest.

British Airways Plc may be forced to sell takeoff and landing slots alongside AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and Spain’s Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana SA if they want to pursue a global tie-up, the Financial Times said.

Britain’s energy supplier Centrica Plc may raise about 400 million pounds by selling half its stake in the world’s largest wind far, the Sunday Times reported.

ING Group announced that it will move towards a complete separation of its banking and insurance operations as part of its ongoing review of the Group’s strategy and as a logical next step in its Back- to -Basics program.

Technip SA announced that it has received a contract worth about EUR200 million from Eni Norge AS for the Goliat field development.

On Friday, the European markets fell for the second straight session, as Mobistar led telecommunication stocks lower after reporting disappointing earnings and Elan paced declines among pharmaceutical stocks after its multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri was linked to 23 cases of a potentially fatal brain disease.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of pan-European blue chips closed 0.58% lower, while the narrower DJ Stoxx 50 index fell 0.65%. Around Europe, France’s CAC 40 index slipped 0.33% and Germany’s DAX index dropped 0.39%, while the U.K.’s FTSE 100 index rose 0.68%.

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Posted in Categories: Australia, Eurozone, Japan, New Zealand, Releases, Stocks, UK, USA.

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