Germany's DAX rose 0.44%, France's CAC 40 climbed 0.1%, Italy's FTSE MIB climbed 0.53%, and Spain's IBEX 35 climbed 0.29%. The British FTSE 100 indicator fell 0.22%. Thyssenkrupp AG shares jumped 7%. This growth was driven by information that a German industrial group is considering dividing its steel division. Infineon Technologies AG shares gained 2.8%. This was due to an increase in their rating by Goldman Sachs analysts. Carrefour SA fell 6.9%. French retailer and Canadian Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. on Saturday announced the termination of the merger negotiations. The companies said in a joint press release that they will continue to discuss partnership opportunities in areas such as procurement, streamlining distribution channels in common markets and improving customer experience. Stellantis NV added more than 7% at its debut auctions in Paris and Milan. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and France's PSA Group closed the merger deal on Saturday, creating one of the world's largest automakers. The market value of Suez SA increased by 3.2%. Private equity funds Ardian and Global Infrastructure Partners have made an offer to buy the French utility operator for 11.31 billion euros, which will be an alternative to the offer to buy out the company's shares by its competitor, Veolia Environnement SA. Akzo Nobel NV capitalization decreased by 2.5%. The Dutch company, one of the largest paint and coatings manufacturers in the world, has offered to acquire the Finnish Tikkurila Oyj for 1.4 billion euros, in an attempt to outbid the competing offer of the American PPG Industries Inc. Tikkurila shares soared 16.5%. The proliferation of new types of COVID-19 and the economic impact of the extension of restrictive measures taken to contain the coronavirus infection could reduce the positive sentiment associated with the introduction of vaccines, analysts said. According to Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, in order to prevent the spread of new strains of coronavirus, the Austrian government decided to postpone the end of the third lockdown, introduced on December 26, from January 24 to February 7. It is also worth noting that the statistics from China inspired investors. They showed a more significant than expected increase in GDP in 2020, as well as the maximum increase in industrial production since June 2017 in December.
