European Stocks Higher; Telecom Italia Soars After Approach By Investing.com – Investing.com

European Stocks Higher; Telecom Italia Soars After Approach By Investing.com – Investing.com

© Reuters.

By Peter Nurse 

Investing.com - European stock markets traded higher Monday, as M&A speculation helped to the market start the new week on a positive tone and shrug off the return of Covid-induced restrictions to the continent.  

At 3:45 AM ET (0845 GMT), the in Germany traded 0.1% higher, the in France also rose 0.4% and the U.K.’s climbed 0.4%.

The major equity indices in Europe have shown strength of late, boosted by strong corporate earnings and helped by the European Central Bank resisting the temptation to join a growing list of central banks that are tightening monetary policy. That has pushed the euro to its lowest in 16 months against the dollar and its lowest in 21 months against the pound.

Investors will be studying the return of Covid-19 restrictions to the region, with Austria starting its fourth national lockdown since the start of the pandemic. 

This move is meant to put a brake on infections before mandatory vaccinations kick in from February. That would be the first such policy in Europe, where governments have mostly kept inoculations voluntary.  

Neighboring Germany also refused to rule out a lockdown on Friday, while the likes