After just over an hour of trading, the CAC 40 is posting a gain of nearly 0.6% at approximately 8,435 points, a trend in line with the advance of the Euro Stoxx 50, while the DAX is up 0.3% in Frankfurt and the FTSE 100 is edging up 0.1% in London.

As a reminder, European equity markets reacted favorably yesterday to the announcement of a peace protocol between the United States and Iran: marking its third consecutive session in the green, the CAC 40 gained some 0.4%, while the Euro Stoxx 50 rose by 0.8%.

"The sharp drop in oil prices triggered by the imminent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has, unsurprisingly, stimulated risk-taking, with the fossil fuel sector naturally undergoing an adjustment," LBPAM highlighted in its morning note.

"This boost in exposure to risky assets was exacerbated in the United States and other tech-heavy markets by the euphoria that gripped investors following the market launch of SpaceX," the management company added.

Investor sentiment remains supported this morning by the continued decline in oil prices, with a barrel of WTI (West Texas Intermediate) falling 2.5% to $79.4 and a barrel of Brent dropping 2.2% to $81.6.

Eyes Turn Toward Central Banks

This favorable trend in crude prices may suggest an easing of inflationary pressures, providing reassurance to investors as they now turn their attention to the Bank of England and the U.S. Fed, both of which will deliver their monetary policy verdicts this week.

While investors widely anticipate a status quo from the U.S. central bank, they will closely scrutinize its new economic projections as well as the tone of the press conference by its new chairman, Kevin Warsh, to detect indications regarding the future trajectory of rates.

"We believe Warsh will downplay the importance of forward guidance, favoring a patient approach regarding rates and inflation, thereby adopting a more dovish stance than the market anticipates," predicts Xiao Cui, senior economist at Pictet Wealth Management.

Regarding monetary policy, it is worth noting that two of the major Asia-Pacific central banks adopted divergent approaches this Tuesday: while the Bank of Japan decided to raise its key rate by 0.25 points to 1%, the Reserve Bank of Australia chose to leave its rate unchanged at 4.35%.

Corporate News in Europe...

At the bottom of the CAC 40, STMicroelectronics is losing 2.7% following the announcement of a $1.5bn convertible bond issue in two tranches, with maturities of 5 and 7 years. The company also plans the early redemption of its 2027 convertible bonds.

Elsewhere in Europe, GEA Group is up 4.2% in Frankfurt, benefiting from a rating upgrade at Deutsche Bank from "hold" to "buy," with the price target raised from €64 to €70, as the bank now sees "a more striking disconnect between the group's resilient fundamentals and its current valuation."

Conversely, Aperam is shedding 2.4% in Amsterdam, penalized by a rating downgrade at Morgan Stanley from "overweight" to "equal-weight" on the stainless, electrical, and specialty steel specialist, despite a price target raised from €48 to €52.

On the macroeconomic front, traders are awaiting the ZEW index of economic sentiment in Germany late this morning, followed by import prices and residential construction figures for May in the United States early this afternoon.