European shares inch higher on Brexit relief; Coronavirus fears cap gains

Reuters

Published Feb 03, 2020 08:14

(Reuters) - European shares opened a tad higher on Monday as investors were relieved that the UK finally exited the EU, although concerns over the growing Chinese coronavirus dampened enthusiasm.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (STOXX) rose 0.3% by 0803 GMT.

Britain officially left the EU on Friday, ending years of financial and political uncertainty over the exit. Blue-chip British stocks (FTSE) added 0.2%.

However, the likely economic fallout from a virus outbreak in China kept buying constrained, especially given that Chinese stock indexes crashed upon opening after a long holiday. (SS)