Argentine stocks end flat

Argentine stocks ended little changed on Monday in a session marked by selective trading and little activity. The MerVal index of 13 leading stocks closed off 0.4 percent at 1,701.67 points.
Volume was a lowly 40 million pesos ($12.8 million) with nearly half of trade focused in banking conglomerate Grupo Financiero Galicia and market heavyweight Tenaris.
"The MerVal keeps hovering around 1,700 points because of the selective trading, but shows few signs of rising higher in the short term," said Hernan Labrone, an analyst at Fenix Compania Financiera.
Group Financiero Galicia led gainers, rising 2.75 percent to 2.24 pesos. Tenaris - the leading global producer of seamless steel tubes for the oil industry - fell 1.38 percent to 57.10 pesos per share. Group Financiero Galicia was helped by rise in banking shares tied to a rally in US stocks, said Labrone.