European shares nudge higher as Brexit tussle continues

[BRUSSELS] Europeans shares opened slightly higher on Monday, indicating that investors remained hopeful that Britain would be able to avoid a disorderly exit from the European Union, even as British lawmakers delayed a crucial vote on the withdrawal agreement.

The British government insisted on Sunday the country will leave the European Union on Oct 31 despite a letter that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced by parliament to send to the bloc, requesting for a Brexit delay.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.2 per cent after finishing nearly flat last week, hurt by some weak quarterly results and conflicting Brexit headlines.

London's blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.3 per cent as export-heavy firms benefited from a weakness in the pound, while the domestically focused mid-caps index dropped 0.3 per cent.

REUTERS