European shares were flat to marginally higher in early trading on Monday, with Italian shares recovering some ground after a bout of selling driven by political nerves as all eyes moved to this week’s meeting of the European Central Bank. Reuters
France is exploring ways to scrap an age limit for candidates to head the IMF, a reform that could clear the path for the World Bank’s Kristalina Georgieva to emerge as a compromise choice for the job. Financial Times
Finance Minister Philip Hammond said on Sunday he would resign if Boris Johnson became Britain’s new prime minister because he could not support a leader happy to take the country out of the European Union without a deal. CNBC
Dutch health technology company Philips on Monday reported a better-than-expected 6% rise in comparable sales for the second quarter, helped by strong demand for its hospital equipment in China and the United States. Reuters
Ireland’s minister for financial services has insisted a banking pay cap should remain in force in spite of mounting pressure from lenders who want the policy scrapped after blaming it for the loss of top staff. Financial Times
Malaysia will find it challenging to meet its 3% fiscal deficit target for next year due to uncertainties around the U.S.-China trade war, the finance minister told Reuters in an interview on Monday. Reuters
Oil prices rose on Monday on concerns that Iran’s seizure of a British tanker last week may lead to supply disruptions in the Middle East Gulf, although gains were capped as Libya resumed output at its largest oil field. Reuters
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