European stocks fell in early trading on Monday, halting their brisk three-week rally and tracking a selloff on Wall Street on Friday where a number of high-growth companies mostly in the tech and biotech tumbled, Reuters reported. Losses were cushioned, however, as M&A activity in Europe fuelled hopes of further consolidation. Switzerland's Holcim unveiled an all-share deal to buy France's Lafarge on Monday to create the world's biggest cement maker with combined sales of 32 billion euros ($44 billion). Holcim shares were up 5.6 percent while Lafarge gained 3.8 percent. Numericable jumped 15 percent after winning a fierce month-long bidding war against mobile rival Bouygues for the prize of SFR as Vivendi announced it had decided to go with Numericable's offer. Bouygues shares were down 6.2 percent.
