European shares were flat at the opening on Monday as investors sat on the sidelines ahead of another raft of big corporate earnings reports.
The pan-European Stoxx followed a similar session in Asia, where markets made small advances. Eyes will be on results from the likes of Facebook later today and Lloyds Bank and German peer Deutsche Bank during the week.
Oil and copper prices rose, giving miners a lift, while in other equity news, Anglo-Asia bank HSBC gained after third quarter profits rose 74% and a $2bn was unveiled.
Shares in Exor, the Italian holding company of the Agnelli family, rose to the top of the Stoxx, on reports it had entered new talks with French mutual insurer Covea over reinsurer PartnerRe after discussions over a potential $9bn deal were called off last year.
Shares in TSB owner Banco Sabadell rose after it confirmed it had rejected a bid approach from the Co-op for the British banking chain.
UniCredit fell 3.6% after the Italian government and the bank ended talks over the sale of troubled Tuscan bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena, hitting attempts to return the bank to private hands.
