BT Group gains as Bharti Enterprises to buy around 24.5 stake in co from Altice UK
Hannover Re up after H1 results
STOXX 600 up 0.3

Aug 12 Reuters European shares started the week on a positive note on Monday, as investors prepared for U.S. inflation data to gauge the Federal Reserve39;s monetary policy path and a deluge of other key data from Europe.

The continentwide STOXX 600 index was up 0.3, with all European markets trading in the green.

Oil and gas stocks gained 0.7 as oil prices rose for a fifth session after U.S. recession fears eased while geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also supported.

Financials were also up 0.7, as Hannover Re surged nearly 5 after the German reinsurer reported its firsthalf results. The sector was the top contributor to the gains on the benchmark index.

Last week, the absence of major economic data resulted in a tepid performance for the STOXX 600, which managed to eke out a modest weekly gain by Friday.

Investors will be focused on the U.S. consumer prices data set to drop on Wednesday, which will shape the direction for the global monetary policy.

A massive selloff swept across global currencies and stock markets last week, fuelled by mounting recession fears in the U.S. economy. However, betterthanexpected weekly jobs data in the U.S. calmed investors.

Markets are still in recovery mode… however, all that data is going to be important for market participants to assess whether we are in for soft landing or if…