European equities traded mostly higher on Monday, regaining some ground after last week’s losses, which had been driven by concerns that a potential Democratic sweep in the US midterm elections could lead to tighter AI regulation. The STOXX 50 advanced 0.3% to 6,190 points, and the broader STOXX 600 edged up 0.1%, as investors weighed a new round of corporate updates and a pullback in oil prices after President Trump played down the likelihood of additional strikes on Iran.
In company news, Banco BPM jumped more than 9% after Crédit Agricole proposed merging the Italian bank with its local unit. UniCredit climbed over 4% after lifting its profit guidance, while SAP gained nearly 2% following an upgrade from JPMorgan. On the downside, Hochtief dropped 6% after ACS rejected speculation about a potential takeover. Nvidia slid 6% in Frankfurt amid reports of an internal probe into an alleged foreign intelligence plot targeting CEO Jensen Huang, casting doubt over his future at the chipmaker.