European stocks fell at the start of trading on Monday as markets reacted to elections in France after a surprise victory for a coalition of left-wing parties.
France's CAC 40 index fell 0.4%, and the euro fell 0.13% against the dollar.
The UK's FTSE 100 fell about 0.3%, while Germany's DAX and FTSE MIB were trading around the flat line. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.1%.
France's New Popular Front won the most seats in parliamentary elections this weekend, thwarting the expected rise of the far right.
However, the coalition failed to secure an absolute majority, preliminary data showed, leaving markets to digest the possibility of a hung parliament.
This comes after last week's general election in Britain, which saw the opposition Labour Party win a landslide victory, ousting the Conservatives after 14 years.
In corporate news, soft drinks maker Britvic has agreed a £3.3 billion ($4.2 billion) takeover bid from Carlsberg, at 1,290p per Britvic share. This was an improved offer from Carlsberg, which initially offered 1,200p per share but was rejected.
There are no major corporate earnings scheduled for Monday. It's also quiet on the data front, with only German trade data due.
