European markets move higher to start the new trading week

European markets opened the week on a positive note as investors awaited preliminary consumer confidence data from the euro zone for January. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.7% in early trading, with most sectors trading in the green. Autos, travel, and tech stocks saw gains of over 1%, while utilities were the only sector in the red by 0.05%. Asian markets showed mixed results, and U.S. stock futures remained unchanged. French lottery operator La Francaise des Jeux rose 5% after confirming the acquisition of Swedish gambling company Kindred. Swiss heating and ventilation business Belimo saw a 6.6% drop in its shares due to lower-than-expected 2023 revenues. Finnish IT company Tietoevry also experienced a 1.8% dip after a ransomware attack.