European markets set to start the last trading week of 2025 in flat territory
Published Mon, Dec 29 2025
1:13 AM EST
Holly Ellyatt@HollyEllyattWATCH LIVELights on in skyscrapers and commercial buildings on the skyline of the City of London, UK, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. U.K. business chiefs urged Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to ease energy costs and avoid raising the tax burden on corporate Britain as she prepares this year's budget.
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LONDON â European stocks are expected to start the last trading week of the year in flat territory.
The U.K.'s FTSE index, Germany's DAX, France's CAC 40, and Italy's FTSE MIB are all seen opening just a touch higher on Monday, according to data from IG.
Trading volumes could be lighter this week, given the ongoing Christmas holidays, and with regional markets set to close Thursday for New Year's Day.
The prospect of a peace deal for Ukraine before the year's out is fading after U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that progress had been made during talks to end the war but that "one or two very thorny issues" remained.
Trump had been seen to be targeting a peace deal before Christmas, but Ukraine and Russia remain far apart when it comes to territorial concessions demanded by Russia and security guarantees coveted by Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters following talks in Florida on Sunday, President Zelenskyy said they had come to an agreement on around "90%" of a 20-point peace plan and that the leaders had fully agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump was slightly less bullish on that front, saying an agreement was "close to 95%" done.
There are no major European earnings or data releases Monday.