France’s CAC 40 rose 0.5% and Germany’s DAX index rose 1.3% Monday morning. The UK’s FTSE 100 index closed Monday for the Christmas holidays.
Trump avoided closing the government on Sunday afternoon and extended unemployment benefits to millions of Americans. The signing came days after Trump suggested he would veto the legislation, demanding $ 2,000 direct from the Americans, instead of $ 600. US stock futures rose slightly in the news.
In Asia, Alibaba’s shares in Hong Kong fell more than 8% for the second straight session after Chinese regulators ordered Alibaba-affiliated Ant Group to rectify its business.
Back in Europe, traders reacted to the announcement of a Brexit trade deal between the UK and the EU. The deal, closed after markets closed on December 24, has yet to be approved this week by British lawmakers before the December 31 deadline.
In news about individual shares, the Italian Saipem saw its shares increase by 1.9% after signing an agreement with the Italian navy. The German Deutsche Post rose 3% after its CEO said the firm was expecting record profits for 2020.
—Eustance Huang and Yun Li from CNBC contributed to this article.