European stocks are seen opening higher on Monday, with focus likely to remain on Greece after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in remarks published Sunday he is looking for a "happy ending" in his current talks with EU creditors. "I am confident there will be a happy ending soon to this first phase of the negotiations, and to normalizing the situation," said Tsipras.
Athens is set to present a list of economic reform proposals to international creditors today after Tsipras's earlier reform plans met resistance from EU leaders.
That said, resource stocks could be under selling pressure amid a retreat in commodity prices. Energy stocks may be hit hard as oil prices extended steep losses from the previous session on fears a nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran hoped to be finalized by Tuesday could add one million barrels or more of Iranian oil to the global oil market.
The Asian markets are mostly higher, with Chinese and Hong Kong shares rallying on stimulus hopes, after People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan said the economy had slowed "a bit too sharply," and the country needs to be vigilant about signs of deflation.
Japan's Nikkei index rose 0.7 percent as downbeat industrial production data weakened the yen. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.2 percent, dragged down by resource stocks amid declines in oil and metal prices.
In economic releases, investors await German inflation and European economic confidence data as well as U.S. personal income and spending figures later in the day for further clues on the global economic outlook. The U.S. employment report for March is due out on Friday, when the stock market will be closed for Good Friday.
In corporate news, Swiss duty-free operator Dufry AG announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Edizione's 50.1 percent stake in WDF, the holding company of World Duty Free Group, for EUR 10.25 per share.
Eurocement Holding, a key shareholder in Holcim, plans to vote against the Swiss cement maker's merger with Lafarge SA unless the financial terms of the deal are altered, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting a person familiar with matter.
British Airways has confirmed a security breach of tens of thousands of frequent-flier accounts, but said it has taken steps to lock down the accounts so that they can no longer be accessed.
Jacquet Metal Service, a steel distributor, has acquired certain steel distribution activities from Schmolz+Bickenbach AG, a provider of special long steel products.
Novartis said it would make an upfront payment of $200 million to Aduro Biotech and will make an initial equity investment in the company for $25 million, with a commitment for another $25 million equity investment.
The European markets ended Friday's session on a mixed note as lingering geopolitical concerns and worries over Greece's finances kept investors on edge. The German DAX rose 0.2 percent and France's CAC 40 gained 0.6 percent, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 slid 0.6 percent, dragged down by miners as a stronger dollar weighed on commodity prices.
U.S. stocks broke a four-day losing streak on Friday after Fed chair Janet Yellen struck a cautious note on interest rates, saying a rate hike may be warranted later this year, but any increase in interest rates would be gradual and data dependent.
Economic reports painted a mixed picture of the economy, with the third and final GDP reading for the fourth quarter coming in line with initial readings, while consumer confidence fell less than forecast in March. The Dow and the S&P 500 rose about 0.2 percent each, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq advanced 0.6 percent.
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December 26, 2025 08:42 ET Third quarter economic growth data from some major economies including the U.S. were the main news in this holiday shortened week. GDP growth and industrial production data from the U.S. helped to boost morale, while the consumer confidence survey results were less upbeat. In Europe, the quarterly economic growth data from the U.K. drew attention, while the minutes of the Australian central bank’s latest policy session was in focus in Asia.