Stock indices closed mixed as market participants were cautious ahead of the European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary policy meeting on Thursday. Analysts expect the central bank to add further stimulus measures.

Meanwhile, the economic data from Germany was mixed. Destatis released its consumer price data for Germany on Monday. German preliminary consumer price index increased 0.1% in November, in line with expectations, after a flat reading in October.

On a yearly basis, German preliminary consumer price index increased to 0.4% in November from 0.3% in October, in line with expectations.

The annual increase was mainly driven by a rise in services prices, which were up 1.2% year-on-year in November.

Goods prices dropped 0.6% year-on-year in November, driven by a decline in energy prices. Energy prices slid 7.5% year-on-year in November.

German adjusted retail sales fell 0.4% in October, missing forecasts of a 0.4% gain, after a flat reading in September.

On a yearly basis, German retail sales jumped 2.1% in October, missing expectations for a 2.9% gain, after a 3.5% rise in September. September's figure was revised up from a 3.4% increase.

Sales of non-food products increased at an annual rate of 1.8% in October, while sales of food, beverages and tobacco products climbed by 2.3%.

The Bank of England (BoE) released its number of mortgages approvals for the U.K. on Monday. The number of mortgages approvals in the U.K. was up to 69,630 in October from 69,012 in September, missing expectations for an increase to 70,000. September's figure was revised up from 68,874.

Consumer credit in the U.K. rose by £1.178 billion in October, missing expectations for a £1.300 billion increase, after a £1.303 billion gain in September. September's figure was revised down from £1.261 billion.

Net lending to individuals in the U.K. increased by £4.8 billion in October, after a £4.85 billion gain in September.

Indexes on the close:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,356.09 -19.06 -0.30 %

DAX 11,382.23 +88.47 +0.78 %

CAC 40 4,957.6 +27.46 +0.56 %

Polish equity market closed lower on Monday. The broad market measure, the WIG Index, slid down 0.17%. Sector-wise, media sector names (-2.37%) recorded the sharpest decline, while chemicals (+2.22%) fared the best.

The large-cap stocks' measure, the WIG30 Index, lost 0.41%. Within the Index components, genco ENEA (WSE: ENA) led the decliners pack with a 3.19% drop. It was followed by media and telecoms company CYFROWY POLSAT (WSE: CPS) and developer GTC (WSE: GTC), which fell by 2.98% and 2.97% respectively. On the other side of the ledger, chemical company GRUPA AZOTY (WSE: ATT) and bank HANDLOWY (WSE: BHW) became the strongest performers, returning gains of 4.81% and 4.18% respectively.

Major U.S. stock-indexes little changed but looked set to end the month on a positive note as investors braced for a week of heavy economic data culminating in the November jobs report. Investors are awaiting Friday's non-farm payrolls report ahead of a mid-December meeting of the Federal Reserve. While the U.S. central bank is likely to raise interest rates for the first time since June 2006, the European Central Bank is expected to unveil fresh monetary easing measures on Thursday. Other U.S. data expected during the week includes manufacturing and auto sales data for November.

Most of Dow stocks in negative area (18 of 30). Top looser - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT, -1.26%). Top gainer - Caterpillar Inc. (CAT. +1.73%).

S&P indexes mixed. Top looser - Conglomerates (-1.0%). Top gainer - Basic Materials (+0,7%).

At the moment:

Dow 17769.00 -32.00 -0.18%

S&P 500 2086.25 -3.75 -0.18%

Nasdaq 100 4674.75 -7.75 -0.17%

Oil 42.27 +0.56 +1.34%

Gold 1062.00 +5.80 +0.55%

U.S. 10yr 2.22 -0.01

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda reiterated on Monday that the central bank will add further stimulus measures to boost inflation toward 2% target if needed.

"We'll ease policy or take whatever steps necessary without hesitation if an early achievement of our price target becomes difficult," he said.

Kuroda pointed out that further slowdown in the emerging economies may hurt Japanese exports and production.

The BoJ governor noted that companies should raise wages.

"If Japan were to emerge from deflation and see inflation hit 2 percent, it's important that companies start preparing for that moment by investing more on human resources and capital expenditure," Kuroda said.

The European Central Bank (ECB) purchased €13.75 billion of government and agency bonds under its quantitative-easing program last week.

The ECB will pause its asset-buying programme between December 22 and January 1. The central bank will resume its purchases on January 04.

The ECB President Mario Draghi said at a press conference in October that the value of the ECB's asset-buying programme will be discussed at the monetary policy meeting in December.

ECB'S asset buying programme is intended to run to September 2016.

The ECB bought €2.14 billion of covered bonds, and €234 million of asset-backed securities.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its pending home sales figures for the U.S. on Monday. Pending home sales in the U.S. rose 0.2% in October, missing expectations for a 1.5% gain, after a 1.6% drop in September. September's figure was revised up from a 2.3% decline.

The increase was mainly lead by a rise the Northeast and West.

"Contract signings in October made the most strides in the Northeast, which hasn't seen much of the drastic price appreciation1 and supply constraints that are occurring in other parts of the country. In the most competitive metro areas - particularly those in the South and West - affordability concerns remain heightened as low inventory continues to drive up prices," the NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun said.

"Areas that are heavily reliant on oil-related jobs are the exception and have already started to see some softness in sales because of declining energy prices," he added.

The Institute for Supply Management released its Chicago purchasing managers' index on Monday. The Chicago purchasing managers' index dropped to 48.7 in November from 56.2 in October, missing expectations for a decrease to 54.0.

A reading above the 50 mark indicates expansion, a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

The drop was mainly driven by a fall in new orders. The new orders index was down to 44.1 in November from 59.4 in October. It was the lowest reading since March.

The production index fell to 50.9 in November from 63.4 in October, while the employment index rose to 51.6 from 50.6.

"The slowdown in the global economy, the strong dollar and decline in oil prices have all impacted businesses this year to varying degrees. While it looks likely that the Fed will begin to raise rates in December, the latest setback supports the case for a gradualist approach to monetary tightening," Chief Economist of MNI Indicators Philip Uglow said.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released its private sector credit data on Monday. The total value of private sector credit in Australia rose 0.7% in October, exceeding expectations for a 0.6% gain, after a 0.7% increase in September. September's figure was revised down from a 0.8% rise.

Housing credit increased 0.6% in October, personal credit was down 0.3%, while business credit rose 10.0%.

On a yearly basis, the private sector credit in Australia jumped 6.7% in October, after a 6.6% in September.

U.S. stock-index futures were little changed.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 19,747.47 -136.47 -0.69%

Hang Seng 21,996.42 -71.90 -0.33%

Shanghai Composite 3,445.68 +9.37 +0.27%

FTSE 6,380.93 +5.78 +0.09%

CAC 4,954.93 +24.79 +0.50%

DAX 11,388.16 +94.40 +0.84%

Crude oil $42.19 (+1.15%)

Gold $1058.00 (+0.17%)

(company / ticker / price / change, % / volume)

Upgrades:

Microsoft (MSFT) upgraded to Strong Buy from Market Perform at Raymond James

Downgrades:

FedEx (FDX) downgraded to Peer Perform from Outperform at Wolfe Research

Other:

General Electric (GE) target raised to $34 from $32 at RBC Capital Mkts

The Italian statistical office Istat released its producer price inflation data for Italy on Monday. Italian producer prices decreased 0.1% in October, after a 0.3% decline in September. September's figure was revised down from a 0.2% drop.

Producer price declined by 0.1% on domestic market and by 0.1% on non-domestic market in October.

On a yearly basis, Italian PPI fell 2.9% in October, after a 3.9% drop in September. September's figure was revised down from a 3.0% fall.

Producer price slid 3.5% on domestic market and by 0.8% on non-domestic market in October.

Statistics Canada released current account data on Monday. Canadian current account deficit narrowed to C$16.2 billion in the third quarter from a deficit of C$16.4 billion in the second quarter. The second quarter figure was revised up from a deficit of C$17.4 billion.

The fall in deficit was driven by declines in the trade in goods and services deficit. The trade in goods deficit fell by C$1.3 billion to C$5.1 billion in the third quarter, while the deficit on international trade in services declined by $0.1 billion to C$5.6 billion.

Destatis released its consumer price data for Germany on Monday. German preliminary consumer price index increased 0.1% in November, in line with expectations, after a flat reading in October.

On a yearly basis, German preliminary consumer price index increased to 0.4% in November from 0.3% in October, in line with expectations.

The annual increase was mainly driven by a rise in services prices, which were up 1.2% year-on-year in November.

Goods prices dropped 0.6% year-on-year in November, driven by a decline in energy prices. Energy prices slid 7.5% year-on-year in November.

Stock indices traded mixed as market participants were cautious ahead of the European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary policy meeting on Thursday. Analysts expect the central bank to add further stimulus measures.

Meanwhile, the economic data from Germany was weaker-than-expected. Destatis released its retail sales for Germany on Monday. German adjusted retail sales fell 0.4% in October, missing forecasts of a 0.4% gain, after a flat reading in September.

On a yearly basis, German retail sales jumped 2.1% in October, missing expectations for a 2.9% gain, after a 3.5% rise in September. September's figure was revised up from a 3.4% increase.

Sales of non-food products increased at an annual rate of 1.8% in October, while sales of food, beverages and tobacco products climbed by 2.3%.

The Bank of England (BoE) released its number of mortgages approvals for the U.K. on Monday. The number of mortgages approvals in the U.K. was up to 69,630 in October from 69,012 in September, missing expectations for an increase to 70,000. September's figure was revised up from 68,874.

Consumer credit in the U.K. rose by £1.178 billion in October, missing expectations for a £1.300 billion increase, after a £1.303 billion gain in September. September's figure was revised down from £1.261 billion.

Net lending to individuals in the U.K. increased by £4.8 billion in October, after a £4.85 billion gain in September.

Current figures:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,359.27 -15.88 -0.25 %

DAX 11,362.08 +68.32 +0.60 %

CAC 40 4,943.14 +13.00 +0.26 %

Statistics New Zealand released its building permits data on late Sunday evening. Building permits in New Zealand jumped 5.1% in October, after a 5.8% drop in September. September's figure was revised down from a 5.7% decline.

Residential work rose 2.4% year-on-year in October, while non-residential work climbed 4.9%.

"Dwelling consents are well above the historical average in both Auckland and Canterbury. Auckland dwelling consents have continued to increase, while Canterbury has come down from the peak we saw last year," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said.

The Greek statistical office Hellenic Statistical Authority released its retail sales data on Monday. Greek retail sales slid 8.5% in September.

On a yearly basis, Greek retail sales fell by 3.2% in September, after a 2.1% drop in August. August's figure was revised up from a 2.2% decline.

Sales of food products decreased by 2.8% in September, sales of non-food products climbed by 1.5%, while sales of automotive fuel dropped by 6.4%.

The Italian statistical office Istat released its preliminary consumer price inflation data for Italy on Monday. Preliminary consumer prices in Italy declined 0.4% in November, after a 0.2% rise in October.

The decrease was mainly driven by a drop in prices for services related to recreation including repair and personal care. Prices for services related to recreation including repair and personal care plunged 1.8% in November.

On a yearly basis, consumer prices climbed 0.1% in November, after a 0.3% increase in October.

The slower increase was mainly driven by lower prices for services related to recreation including repair and personal care. Prices for services related to recreation including repair and personal care rose 0.4% year-on-year, after a 1.4% gain in October.

Consumer price inflation excluding unprocessed food and energy prices fell to 0.6% year-on-year in November from 0.8% in October.

The Spanish statistical office INE released its retail sales data on Monday. Retail sales in Spain rose at a seasonally adjusted rate of 0.4% in October, after a 0.8% gain in September.

Food sales were up 0.6% in October, while non-food sales climbed by 0.6%.

On a yearly basis, retail sales climbed at a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.8% in October, after a 4.7% rise in September.

Sales of non-food products jumped 7.6% in September from a year ago, while food sales rose 2.0%.

The Bank of England (BoE) released its number of mortgages approvals for the U.K. on Monday. The number of mortgages approvals in the U.K. was up to 69,630 in October from 69,012 in September, missing expectations for an increase to 70,000. September's figure was revised up from 68,874.

The BoE introduced tighter rules on mortgage lending last year. Lenders have to make more checks on whether borrowers can afford their loans.

Consumer credit in the U.K. rose by £1.178 billion in October, missing expectations for a £1.300 billion increase, after a £1.303 billion gain in September. September's figure was revised down from £1.261 billion.

Net lending to individuals in the U.K. increased by £4.8 billion in October, after a £4.85 billion gain in September.

The Swiss Economic Institute KOF released its leading indicator for Switzerland on Monday. The KOF leading indicator declined to 97.9 in November from 100.4 in October, missing expectations for a fall to 100.2. October's figure was revised up from 99.8.

"The decrease of the Barometer in November is predominantly driven by a marked deterioration of sentiment reflected by the indicators on Swiss manufacturing activity. Another negative, but considerably less pronounced, contribution stems from the indicators related to exports," the KOF said.

Destatis released its retail sales for Germany on Monday. German adjusted retail sales fell 0.4% in October, missing forecasts of a 0.4% gain, after a flat reading in September.

On a yearly basis, German retail sales jumped 2.1% in October, missing expectations for a 2.9% gain, after a 3.5% rise in September. September's figure was revised up from a 3.4% increase.

Sales of non-food products increased at an annual rate of 1.8% in October, while sales of food, beverages and tobacco products climbed by 2.3%.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is likely to add the yuan to its basket of reserve currencies this Monday. The IMF's basket of reserve currencies (Special Drawing Rights SDR)) includes the yen, euro, pound and U.S. dollar.

The IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde have already endorsed the idea.

The SDR totals $280 billion. It was modified was in 2000, when the euro replaced the German Deutsche Mark and the French franc.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released its preliminary industrial production data on late Sunday evening. Preliminary industrial production in Japan climbed 1.4% in October, missing expectations for a 1.9% rise, after a 1.1% gain in September.

The increase was mainly driven by rises in business oriented machinery, transport equipment and electronic parts and devices industry.

According to a survey by the ministry, industrial production is expected to rise 0.2% in November, and to decline 0.9% in December.

On a yearly basis, Japan's industrial production was down 1.4% in October, after a 0.8% decline in September.

U.S. stock indices posted minor changes in Friday's short trade as declines in energy companies offset gains in telecommunication and utility companies.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 14.90 points, or less than 0.1%, to 17,798.49. The S&P 500 edged up 1.24 points, or less than 0.1%, to close at 2,090.11 (seven out of its 10 components ended higher). The Nasdaq Composite added 11.38 points, or 0.2% to 5,127.52.

The National Retail Federation expects sales to grow 3.7% this holiday season compared to the 4.1% rise a year ago. Nevertheless this increase would still be above the 10-year average of 2.5% growth. Online sales are expected to grow 6-8% compared to the 5.8% gain seen last year.

This morning in Asia Hong Kong Hang Seng added 0.02%, or 4.01, to 22,072.33. China Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.99%, or 68.37, to 3.367.94. The Nikkei declined 0.64%, or 128.22, to 19,755.72.

Asian indices mostly fell on Monday morning. Chinese stocks declined as investors remained concerned over authorities' speculation investigations into brokerages, which formally started last week. Meanwhile Chinese banks gained amid news that the yuan was likely to be included into the Special Drawing Rights basket of currencies by the International Monetary Fund becoming an official reserve currency.

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei 225 19,883.94 -60.47 -0.30 %

Hang Seng 22,068.32 -420.62 -1.87 %

Shanghai Composite 3,436.38 -199.17 -5.48 %

FTSE 100 6,375.15 -17.98 -0.28 %

CAC 40 4,930.14 -15.88 -0.32 %

Xetra DAX 11,293.76 -27.01 -0.24 %