EU STOCKS mostly gain

European stocks were higher Monday, with mining shares advancing after an upgrade of the sector.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.2% to 339.33. European markets on Friday fell back from a six-year high, following disappointing corporate updates.

But Monday’s push higher was supported in part by miners after J.P. Morgan Cazenove’s equity strategy team raised its view of the group to overweight from underweight. 

Rio Tinto PLC was named J.P. Morgan Cazenove’s top pick in the mining sector. The Anglo-Australian company’s shares climbed 2.5%, the best performer on the U.K.’s FTSE 100 index . The equity index was up 0.2%.

But British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC lagged behind the FTSE 100, losing 2.4% after the company said it’s talking to 21st Century Fox about a possible purchase of its interests in Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia. Sky Deutschland AG jumped 6%, the strongest gainer on the Stoxx 600.

Germany’s DAX 30 index rose 0.3%, while France’s CAC 40 fell 0.2% as shares of Publicis Groupe SA slipped 0.4%. The advertising company was removed from Goldman Sach’s conviction buy list after it and Omnicom Group Inc. last week called off their $35 billion merger.

Investors continued to keep watch on developments from Ukraine, where Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine declared victory in a secession referendum Sunday. Russia on Monday said it respected the outcome of the referendum that took place in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but Ukrainian officials dismissed the vote as filled with irregularities.

Source of information>>

More information>>