European equities edged up on Monday, following falls on Wall Street in the previous session, as debate about the Omicron coronavirus variant and the future direction of monetary policy kept trading conditions volatile.
The Stoxx 600 share index gained 0.3 per cent. London’s FTSE 100, which is dominated by economically sensitive banks, commodities producers and miners, rose 0.6 per cent. Meanwhile, futures contracts tracking Wall Street’s S&P 500 share index were flat in late-morning European trading, while those tracking the technology-focused Nasdaq 100 dipped 0.6 per cent.
The moves came after investors on Friday retreated from shares in large US technology and other early-stage companies, whose higher valuations make them sensitive to sudden shifts in market sentiment. The Nasdaq 100 ended last week almost 2 per cent lower.