European stock markets settled lower on Monday as a cocktail of weaker oil prices, bad politics and earnings disappointments weighed on investor sentiment. Banks were also a big weight on markets across the continent as the exuberance that followed a series of brighter-than-expected earnings reports in recent days began to fade.
Europe's leading Blue-chip index, EURO STOXX 50 lost 23.99 points or 0.78 percent to settle at 3,055.25. UK's benchmark index FTSE 100 declined 42.04 points or 0.6 percent to close at 6,954.22.
Meanwhile, Germany's benchmark index DAX lost 31.18 points or 0.29 percent to end at 10,665.01. French benchmark index CAC 40 lost 39.32 points or 0.86 percent to end at 4,509.26.