European defense stocks slide amid Ukraine peace talks
European stocks start the last trading week of the year in flat territory.
TL;DR
- European stocks closed mixed on Monday.
- Defense stocks fell amid potential peace talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- The Stoxx 600 index finished with a slight gain, while the FTSE index was marginally lower.
- Despite the current dip, an analyst believes defense investments in Europe will accelerate in the coming years.
- Silver briefly climbed above $80 an ounce before pulling back, while gold and copper fell.
- Oil prices rose, with U.S. crude and Brent benchmarks gaining.
- Trading volumes may be lighter this week due to Christmas holidays and upcoming New Year's Day closures.