European shares start week on firm footing, vaccine developments eyed

(Reuters) – European shares rebounded on Monday after a Wall Street-led rout in technology stocks kept global sentiment subdued in the previous week, with investors keeping a close watch on COVID-19 vaccine developments.

Australia expects to receive its first batches of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in January after a deal was struck with CSL to manufacture two vaccines – one developed by rival AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and another in CSL’s own labs with the University of Queensland.

AstraZeneca rose 1.5%. The European healthcare sector index <.sxdp> jumped 0.9%.

The STOXX 600 index <.stoxx> was 0.8% higher by 0709 GMT, with Frankfurt shares <.gdaxi> leading gains after rising 1%.

Shares of insurers <.sxip>, banks <.sx7p> and automakers <.sxap> climbed more than 1% in early trading.

(Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)