DE30: Dax with small gains at the start of the week

• Roche shares lose after failed Alzheimer's drug test

The first trading session in Europe this week brings modest gains in the indices, which are trying to continue the strong gains initiated by the lower CPI inflation reading in the US. This week we will learn a number of inflation readings from Europe, US PPI inflation data and retail sales data.

The swap market is currently pricing in a near 43% chance of a 75bp rate hike at the ECB's December meeting. Source: Bloomberg

DE30 index chart, D1 interval. The benchmark German blue chips are posting moderate gains today. Source: xStation 5

Monday's German market session brings slightly higher valuations for most economic sectors. Source: Bloomberg

News:

Shares of Merc KGaA (MRK.DE) are trading up sharply on the German stock market today on the back of a raised recommendation on the company's shares by Bofa. Rating of 'buy', target price of €215.

Roche Holding AG (ROG.CH) shares fell more than 3.0% Monday after the Swiss drugmaker announced that its Alzheimer's drug candidate called gantenerumab could not conclusively demonstrate that it slows the progression of dementia. Compared to placebo, the drug showed no statistically significant effect in two studies, the company said.

Bank recommendations:

• UBS cuts target price for Deutsche Telekom (DTE.DE) shares to 26.4 EUR from previous 27 EUR

Largest percentage changes of companies included in the DAX index. Source: Bloomberg

The most active stocks in the DAX index (DE30). Source: Bloomberg