European shares inch higher on Brexit relief; Coronavirus fears cap gains

European shares opened a tad higher on Monday as investors were relieved that the UK finally exited the EU, although concerns over the growing Chinese coronavirus dampened enthusiasm.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.3% by 0803 GMT. Britain officially left the EU on Friday, ending years of financial and political uncertainty over the exit. Blue-chip British stocks added 0.2%.

However, the likely economic fallout from a virus outbreak in China kept buying constrained, especially given that Chinese stock indexes crashed upon opening after a long holiday. The technology was the best performer among the European regional subindexes, adding about 0.9%.