European stocks started the week higher, as a busy week began for European central banks.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.3% to 580.10 points, with most sectors and major indices posting gains.
The FTSE index rose 0.4% to 9692.41 points, while the German DAX index climbed 0.2% to 24249.83 points, and the French CAC 40 index increased 0.2% to 8090.70 points.
This week is witnessing intense activity from investors in Europe, with the European Central Bank's final monetary policy meeting of the year taking place on Thursday, where the bank is expected to keep interest rates at 2%.
In an interview with the Financial Times, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the bank is likely to raise its growth forecasts again in December, after raising its forecast for annual GDP growth to 1.2% last September.
Other central banks, including the Bank of England, Sweden's Riksbank, and Norway's central bank, will also hold their final monetary policy decisions for 2025 this week. The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates, while inflation data for both the Eurozone and the UK will be released on Wednesday.
European leaders will also test their resolve this week when they discuss financing for Ukraine at the Brussels summit on Thursday, including the possibility of using billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets to back a €210 billion ($246 billion) loan to Kyiv.
On the US front, stock futures saw little change on Sunday evening, following a volatile week on Wall Street marked by significant shifts from the technology sector to parts of the market trading at lower valuations.
Traders also braced for a series of anticipated US economic reports this week, including November's non-farm payrolls data and October's retail sales figures, both due on Tuesday after being delayed due to the fall government shutdown. November's consumer price index is scheduled for release on Thursday.
In Asian and Pacific markets, markets fell on Monday, after last week's Wall Street declines dampened sentiment.
