Retailers Boost European Regional Benchmarks

European stocks opened 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.

Britain's FTSE 100 benchmark gained 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. begins Brexit negotiations with the European Union with a weakened government and a slowing economy.

Friday's massive takeover deal between Amazon  (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.

This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.