By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - European stock markets ended the first trading day of the week lower.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell 0.44%, or 2.48 points, to close at 558.82.
Germany's DAX 40 index was down 0.37% to end at 24,273.12, and France's CAC 40 dropped 1.59% to close the day at 7,843.04 points.
Italy's FTSE MIB 30 index declined 0.19% to 43,227.7 points, and Spain's IBEX 35 index fell 0.85% to end at 15,265.5 points.
In the UK, the markets were closed due to the bank holiday.
The euro/dollar exchange rate fell 0.51% to 1.1657 as of 1650GMT.
Meanwhile, while sentiment among companies in Germany has brightened slightly, the Ifo Institute for Economic Research said the Business Climate Index rose to 89 points in August, up from 88.6 points in July.
"This increase was due to improved expectations among companies. However, the current situation was assessed as slightly worse. The German economy’s recovery remains weak," the institute noted on Monday.
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou announced that he would hold a vote of confidence in the National Assembly ahead of discussions on the government's budget, which is being prepared to reduce public debt and has sparked controversy within the opposition.