European stocks closed slightly higher on Monday, supported by strong session for heavyweight banks and utility providers as markets shook off threats of lower trade flows between major economies and continued to assess the outlook of borrowing costs in the Eurozone. The STOXX 50 added 0.2% to 5,959 and the STOXX 600 rose 0.3% to 610. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sunday that Canada has no intention of pursuing a free trade agreement with China, following US President Donald Trump’s warning that he would impose 100% tariffs on Ottawa should such a deal be signed. Lenders booked sharp gains amid the positive session for European sovereign bonds, with Santander, Intesa Sanpaolo, BBVA, and ING adding between 2% and 1%. Meanwhile, Iberdrola and Enel rose more than 1%. On the other hand, Rheinmetall lost 2.2% to set the pace for a negative session in the defense sector.