BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks rallied on Monday, with upbeat service sector activity data from China and hopes of more accommodative measures by major central banks helping underpin investor sentiment.
The benchmark CAC 40 climbed 63 points, or 1.24 percent, to 5,065 after declining 0.3 percent on Friday.
Automaker Renault surged nearly 5 percent and Peugeot advanced 2.6 percent after official data showed activity in China's services sector expanded at a much faster pace in August.
Banks also traded higher, with BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale rising 1-2 percent.
Integrated oil & gas company Total SE jumped 2.3 percent, tracking a rise in oil prices after UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced 30 percent cut to October supplies.
Suez shares soared as much as 20 percent after Veolia Environnement SA offered 2.9 billion euros ($3.5 billion) for a 29.9 percent stake in its rival held by gas and power utility Engie. Veolia Environnement shares jumped 3.2 percent and Engie surged 6 percent.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX