European Shares Seen Mixed Amid Dispute Over French Budget

(RTTNews) - European stocks are seen opening on a mixed note Monday, with the euro likely to be in focus after France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen gave the strongest indication yet that she's prepared to topple the government in the coming days.

Finance Minister Antoine Armand said the finance bill is vital for the country and artificial budget deadlines won't be accepted.

Meanwhile, in another significant development, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened the BRICS grouping with "100 percent tariffs" if they moved to create a new currency or back any other option as the world's reserve.

Asian stocks were broadly higher, with Chinese markets leading regional gains as both official and private PMI numbers released over the weekend underscored the effectiveness of Beijing's recent policy measures to bolster the Chinese economy.

Last week, Chinese government advisers reportedly called for a 5 percent growth target for 2025 and emphasized the need for additional stimulus to boost domestic demand and counter potential U.S. tariffs.

Market participants expect the Chinese government to announce new stimulus at the Central Economic Work Conference later this month.

The dollar gained strength in international markets, with the Chinese yuan hitting a four-month low.

Oil prices rose after the release of Chinese manufacturing data while gold prices fell more than 1 percent, pressured by a stronger dollar amid uncertainty over higher long-term inflation and interest rates under Trump-

Across the Atlantic, reports on manufacturing and service sector activity may garner investor attention as the week progresses.

U.S. stocks ended Friday's abbreviated session mostly higher following the Thanksgiving Day holiday the previous day.

The Dow rose 0.4 percent and the S&P 500 added 0.6 percent to reach new record closing highs as the year-end holiday season kicked off.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.8 percent on the prospect of softer-than-expected U.S. curbs on chip equipment sales to China.

European stocks closed higher on Friday after the release of German retail sales, unemployment, French GDP and Eurozone inflation data.

The pan European STOXX 600 advanced 0.6 percent. The German DAX rallied 1 percent, France's CAC 40 jumped 0.8 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 finished marginally higher.