European stock markets witnessed minor gains on Monday, as investors analyzed regional inflation data and awaited key central bank meetings. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 led the way with an increase of 0.6%, while Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 each rose by 0.3%.
The focus of the week is on the decisions about interest rates from the Bank of Japan, Bank of England, and principally the U.S. Federal Reserve. The European Central Bank (ECB) has paused its longest series of interest rate increases, keeping its main policy rate at 4%.
Inflation figures from Germany's most populous state, North Rhine Westphalia, showed a decrease, with consumer prices rising by 3.1% in October, a drop from September's 4.2%. Spain's annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) held steady at 3.5% in October, falling short of the expected 3.8%.
Investors are keenly awaiting more inflation data from other German states, as these figures could offer insights into future ECB policies. Key economic readings from China and the U.S. labor report are also due this week, along with Q3 earnings from iPhone maker Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).
In other news, investors are closely monitoring Israel's large-scale ground assault on Gaza and Europe's largest bank HSBC (LON:HSBA)'s substantial quarterly profit rise to $7.7 billion along with its $3 billion share buyback.
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