Monday's stock market opening is anticipated to be subdued as investors assess the release of additional significant regional economic data and the continued relaxation of mobility restrictions in more Chinese cities. 

Investors will be focusing on the release of the final November PMI statistics for the region, which are expected to show the Eurozone entering a recession as the year comes to a finish. European shares are expected to start the week in a cautious manner. 

Retail sales data for the Eurozone for October is likewise likely to show a 1.7% decline month over month as rising inflation has a significant negative impact on discretionary spending. 

The European Central Bank is still anticipated to raise interest rates at its final policy meeting of the year on December 15 despite these indications that the European economy is in trouble, as inflation is currently running well above its 2% target. 

Before the start of the ECB's blackout period, President Christine Lagarde will make two appearances. Investors will be watching to see if she suggests a 50-basis point rate increase after data released last week revealed that Eurozone inflation declined more than anticipated in November. 

Due to this caution, it is unlikely that the European markets would follow the good trend observed in Asia after several Chinese cities joined the major economic hubs, Shanghai and Beijing, in easing some restrictions on movement and testing. 

This sparked hopes for a widespread abandonment of the nation's rigid "zero-COVID" policy, which has slowed China's economic recovery. 

After the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is mulling an investment of about $500 million to support the troubled Swiss lender's investment bank, Credit Suisse is expected to be in the focus on Monday in the corporate world. 

Furthermore, the expectation that China's COVID limits will be broadly relaxed led to a rise in crude oil prices on Monday, but OPEC+ kept its output targets over the weekend. 

 In order to gauge the effects of the EU import restriction and the Group of Seven $60 per barrel price cap on seaborne Russian oil, which went into effect on Monday, OPEC+ opted to stay with its October plan to reduce output by 2 million barrels per day starting in November. 

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(Sources: investing.com, reuters.com)