ROME: European equities have closed mixed as the markets wait while Greek debt crisis talks plod on, with the country facing a key debt repayment deadline this week.
London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index of top companies finished down 0.4 per cent at 6,953.58 points.
In the eurozone, the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.4 per cent to end the day at 5,025.30 points, and Frankfurt’s DAX 30 gained 0.2 per cent to close at 11,436.05 points.
“European equity markets traded mixed during the first session of the month, as concerns regarding Greece’s debt issues continue to weigh on market sentiment,” Myrto Sokou, senior research analyst at Sucden Financial, said.
“Greece remains at the centre of concerns,” Andrea Tueni, analyst at Saxo Banque, added.
The European single currency slipped to $US1.0910 from $US1.0991 late in New York on Friday.
Greece is up against a deadline on Friday to pay the International Monetary Fund €300 million ($A431.5m) – with fears that it does not have the funds and will default, possibly setting off a chain of events that end with a messy exit from the euro.
“The Greek crisis will soon reach a new crunch point as 300 million euros is due to be repaid to the IMF on Friday. Greece may not be able to make or delay this payment,” Kevin Ferriter of research firm Capital Economics said.
“What’s more, its negotiations with the IMF have been going nowhere due to sticking points such as pension cuts,” he added.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday attacked the country’s creditors for insisting on what he described as absurd reforms which have only held up progress in negotiations for a deal aimed at preventing a default.
