Europe open: Slight gains for shares amid lingering geopolitical concerns
Stocks have started the week higher for the most part, albeit in a slightly uneven fashion following the missile strikes that were conducted over the weekend by the US, Britain and France against Syrian installations linked to the country's chemical weapons programme.
Significantly, although the US and the main European capitals left the door open to further actions against the government in Damascus should it use chemical weapons again, by and large comments from top officials stressed the limited nature of Friday night's missile attack and how the end of goal was neither regime change nor to influence the military situation on the ground.
Against that backdrop, as of 1037 BST, the benchmark Stoxx 600 was drifting lower by 0.06% or 0.21 points to 379.04, although the Dax 30 was recovering after an early morning dip and rising 0.18% or 22.21 points to 12,464.40, while the FTSE Mibtel was up by 0.18% 41.97 points at 23,369.82.
Commenting on the implications for markets of those strikes, Michael Hewson at CMC Markets UK said: "One of the main concerns last week was around the extent of the response by the US backed coalition on President Assad of Syria's forces and any Russian reaction to it.
"The firing of over 100 cruise missiles over the weekend on various targets, with little in the way of casualties, appears to be tempered with relief that while it may reduce the risk of an escalation in the short term, it in no way means that we might not get a counter response further down the line. As such markets here in Europe look set to open cautiously higher this morning after shares traded slightly firmer in Asia."
The price action in other asset classes was mixed, with government bond yields rising as they lost some of their safe haven allure.
Dollar/yen on the other hand was holding lower by 0.11% at 107.229.
Further afield, the Russian rouble was recovering from weakness overnight triggered by reports that Washington was set to impose further sanctions in response to Moscow's activities in Syria.
Helping the Russian currency which had turned higher and was up by 0.25% at 0.0162, Reuters was reporting that foreign affairs minister from the European Union were unlikely to join in fresh American sanctions.
In corporate news, it was all about merger and acquistions activity in the UK, amid news that Shire had sold its oncology unit top France's Servier for $2.4bn.
Another UK outfit, Whitbread, figured prominently in Monday's news, with its stock jumping almost 9% - its largest one day gain since September 2009 - after US hedge fund Elliot Advisers disclosed it had amasses a stake in the owner of Costa Coffee and Premier Inn.
No economic data was set for release at the start of the week, although traders were keeping an eye out for any headlines from the start of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's Spring meetings in Washington.
Investors were also waiting on the latest quarterly update from US financial heavyweight Bank of America.