Summary Trading will be curtailed again this week owing to New Year celebrations.
LONDON (AFP) - European stock markets mainly slumped on Monday following the holiday break, as attention focused on Greece s failure to elect a president, triggering sharp losses for share prices in Athens.
In early afternoon deals, Frankfurt s DAX 30 lost 0.53 percent to 9,869.44 points and the CAC 40 in Paris dipped 0.07 percent to 4,293.05 compared with last Wednesday s closing level.
Spain s IBEX 35 shed 1.43, Milan s MIB slid 1.96 percent and in Athens the main index plunged to a loss of 8.45 percent in afternoon deals.
London s benchmark FTSE 100 index won 0.25 percent to stand at 6,626.43 points approaching midday in the British capital.
Before the pause in trading, European stock markets had diverged in Christmas Eve trade after a global rally that was sparked by stellar economic growth figures from the United States.
Trading will be curtailed again this week owing to New Year celebrations.
"While it is a short trading week for markets across the globe, there is still enough activity to keep traders busy," Stan Shamu, market strategist at IG trading group said on Monday.
"The Greece situation is likely to dictate how risk trades for the rest of the week," he added.
In foreign exchange Monday, the euro climbed to $1.2203 compared with $1.2179 late in New York on Friday.
