In European Equity Markets the pan-European STOXX 600 ended down 0.39 percent, with almost all of the region’s sectors closing the session lower. On the bourses front, Britain’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.91 percent, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.04 percent while Germany’s DAX fell 0.41 percent. Looking at individual stocks, WPP shares, fell 6.5 percent by Monday’s close. The world’s biggest advertising agency saw its CEO Martin Sorrell quit on Saturday amid allegations of personal misconduct. Europe’s food and beverages stocks were some of the worst performers amid earnings news while travel and leisure stocks managed to hold onto its gains by the close.

In Currency Markets the US dollar fell broadly on Monday on hopes that a U.S.-led strike on Syria would not escalate, rekindling some appetite for stocks and other risky assets and spurred investors to reduce safe-haven holdings of the greenback. Government data that showed a rebound in U.S. store sales in March failed to lift the dollar which has been pressured by concerns over a trade war between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies. An index that tracks the dollar against a basket of six currencies fell 0.42 percent, to 89.426. The dollar index hit a two-week low of 89.355 last week.

In Commodities Markets oil recovered some ground on Monday, but prices were still down on the day as investor concern waned about escalating tensions in the Middle East following air strikes on Syria over the weekend. The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles on Saturday, targeting what they said were three chemical weapons facilities in Syria in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack on April 7. Brent crude oil futures were down 74 cents at $71.84 a barrel, having recovered from a session low of $71.11, while U.S. crude futures were down 75 cents at $66.64 a barrel. Oil prices had risen nearly 10 percent in the run-up to the strikes.

In US Equity Markets stocks rose on Monday, boosted by healthcare stocks and on easing fears that the recent U.S.-led missile attack on Syria would escalate into a broader conflict. Merck rose 2.5 percent after the company presented positive data on its cancer drug Keytruda, driving a 0.7 percent gain in the healthcare index. The S&P 500 gained 0.65 percent to 2,673.6 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4 percent at 7,135.34. All the 11 major S&P sectors were higher, with a 1.2 percent gain in the utilities index leading the gainers. Netflix fell more than 2 percent. The company is expected to reports results after the closing bell on Monday.

In Bond Markets borrowing costs in the euro zone rose to three-week highs on Monday, with demand for fixed income dented as appetite for risk assets was supported by hopes that a U.S.-led strike on Syria would not escalate into a broader conflict. Across the single currency bloc, 10-year bond yields were up 1-2 basis points (bps) on the day. Germany’s benchmark Bund yield climbed by 3 bps to 0.55 percent, its highest for more than three weeks, before easing to 0.525 by the end of trading. Ten-year bond yields in France, Austria and the Netherlands also touched their highest in about three weeks.