Banking stocks gave back some of their recent, M&A-driven gains. Austria Erste Bank fell 1.9%. It is awaiting judgement today from Romanian lawmakers on its intended acquisition of the country top bank BCR. Raiffeisen, Erste domestic rival, and competitor in high-growth eastern European markets, fell 1.5%.

Oil and gold

Crude oil for November delivery rose 51 cents to $60.27 a barrel in electronic trading on the NYME. In London, November Brent gained 38 cents to trade at $60.21 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Gold rose after North Korea carried out its first nuclear-weapons test and as higher base metals prices boosted purchases of commodities as a basket. Gold for immediate delivery rose $5.63, or 1%, to $579.72 an ounce.

Currencies

The euro was barely changed Monday against the U.S. dollar, while the Japanese yen was slightly lower after North Korea claimed to have tested a nuclear weapon. The euro bought $1.2601 in morning European trading, compared with $1.2595 late Friday in New York. The British pound slipped to $1.8678 from $1.8705. The dollar rose to 119.12 yen from 118.98 yen.