In European Equity Markets the pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.26 percent, with most sectors and major bourses in the red. German chemicals firm Henkel fell to the bottom of the Stoxx 600 after it released preliminary financial results and said it would hike investments by around 300 million euros ($341.6 million). The stock fell 9.7 percent. Air France-KLM rose to the top of the European index after Davy Research upgraded the stock to “outperform” from “neutral.” Shares closed almost 10 percent higher.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar held near a two-week high on Monday, shrugging off concerns about weakening global growth and data that showed China’s economy slowed sharply in 2018. The Australian dollar was steady at $0.7155 after ending Friday on a loss of 0.3 percent. Sterling inched lower against the dollar and the euro on Monday, as Prime Minister Theresa May outlined the Plan B of her European Union divorce deal to parliament. Sterling traded almost 0.2 percent lower at $1.2847 versus around $1.2860 just before her speech.

In Commodities Markets oil rose on Monday, reversing earlier losses, as investors latched on to positive supply-side drivers for the market, although concern about the wider economy simmered in the background after data pointed to a slowdown in China. Brent crude oil futures were up 12 cents at $62.82 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures were up 9 cents at $53.89 a barrel. Analysts said a more robust backdrop for financial markets, together with the prospect of slower crude production growth, were the major drivers behind the rally in oil.

In US Equity Markets trading activity is closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In Bond Markets German government bond yields edged lower on Monday as signs of an economic slowdown in China, Washington’s political deadlock and Brexit worries kept investors wary and strengthened the demand for safe assets such as Bunds. German 10-year government bond yields, the benchmark for the region, turned flat on the day during the address to around 0.26 percent, coming off a one-month high of 0.276 percent hit on Friday. Other euro zone yields were largely flat to half a basis point lower on the day.