Political Stability Lifts European Markets

Here is your round-up of the financial news from around the world:

1. European stocks open firmly higher Monday as investors draw optimism from some blockbuster merger deals last week and build gains in regional equities that could take markets back to multi-year highs.

2. Global oil prices continued on their downward trend in early Monday trading after another week of data indicating faster U.S. production and slowing international imports.

3. Britain's FTSE 100 benchmark is set for a 54 point gain at the opening bell, according to financial bookmakers IG, helped by a modestly weaker pound, which slipped to 1.2769 against the U.S. dollar as the U.K. prepares to begin Brexit negotiations with the European Union with a weakened government and a slowing economy.

4. Friday's massive takeover deal between Amazon Inc. (AMZN) - Get Report  and upscale food retailer Whole Foods Market Inc (WFM) , valued at just under $14 billion, had a mixed impact on U.S. markets, but could be a precursor to sector consolidation and further deal-making.

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Wake Up Wall Street: Britain Begins Brexit Negotiations

This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.