In Germany, Bayer and BASF weighed down the DAX, as reports of the companies each eyeing a Monsanto acquisition send their shares 4.9% and 2.1% respectively. The FTSE 100 fell 0.95%, the DAX shed 1.13%, and the CAC-40 lost 0.54%. Core inflation also remains subdued, as a result of weak global price pressures, the past appreciation of sterling and restrained domestic cost growth.