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Nov 30 (Reuters) - Europe's benchmark stock index opened
lower on Monday with focus on Brexit negotiations, but was still
on track for its best month on record on the prospect of easing
coronavirus restrictions and hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine.
After face-to-face talks restarted on Saturday, investors
await news of a call between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, seen as the first
sign of movement either towards a trade deal or of talks
crumbling five weeks ahead of the deadline. London's FTSE 100 .FTSE slipped 0.3%, while the
pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX fell 0.5% after four weeks
of gains which have seen it rise nearly 15% so far in November.
Oil and gas stocks .SXEP were the biggest decliners in
Europe, down 2%, with BP BP.L and Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L
sliding as crude prices fell ahead of a meeting of producer
group OPEC+ to decide whether to extend large output cuts to
balance global markets. O/R