BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks traded higher on Monday, heading into a high-stakes week defined by speeches from a slew of ECB officials, the release of U.S. inflation prints, and regional growth that could influence expectations for monetary policy.
Euro zone bond yields started the week slightly lower as Brent crude futures fell below $97 a barrel following remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that renewed military strikes on Iran were 'highly unlikely' while talks to end their eight-month-old conflict continue.
Investors shrugged off weak German trade data, which showed the trade surplus narrowed in September despite rising exports.
The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.6 percent to 652.05 after losing 1 percent on Friday amid fears of tighter AI regulation in the United States, following the Democrats' sweeping victory in the midterm elections.
The German DAX surged 0.6 percent, while France's CAC 40 and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 both were up around 0.4 percent.
In corporate news, Nvidia's Frankfurt-listed shares slumped nearly 5 percent after the U.S. chipmaker said it would open an investigation into reports that CEO Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort.
Hannover Re shares fell about 2 percent. The world's third-largest reinsurer confirmed its full-year group net income target of at least €2.7 billion after third-quarter profit beat expectations.
Belgian-Dutch pharmaceutical company Argenx soared 4 percent after it agreed to acquire California-based Unnatural Products Inc. for up to $1.15 billion (€1.03 billion).
UniCredit jumped 6 percent. The Italian lender upgraded its fiscal 2026 outlook and maintained profit targets ahead after reporting higher third-quarter profit and revenues.
French lender Credit Agricole was moving lower after announcing it had proposed merging its Italian subsidiary with Banco BPM.
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