European stocks start the week on a high

Equities took a breather last week, with the FTSE 100 losing 0.2%, but European stocks showed positive movement on Monday, buoyed by hopes of a U.S. interest rate cut and potential stimulus measures from China. The FTSE 100 index rose by 0.3%

Metal miners are leading the gains in the UK, thanks to surging bullion and copper prices.

In corporate news, Keywords Studios saw its shares surge more than 60% following a potential acquisition bid from EQT Group, valuing the company at around GBP2.03 billion. Kainos shares climbed 10% after reporting annual earnings growth and increasing its dividend by 19%. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca announced plans to build a $1.5 billion manufacturing facility in Singapore, causing shares to slightly dip.   

This week, investors will focus on the minutes from the Federal Reserve's May meeting and UK inflation data. The UK consumer price index is expected to show a significant drop in annual headline CPI inflation to 2.1% in April from 3.2% in March.

Things to read today:

Who pulls the strings of power in Iran? (Financial Times)

Europe Sees Signs of Russian Sabotage but Hesitates to Blame Kremlin (WSJ)