European stocks boosted by expectation of M&A activity

The prospect of an outburst of M&A fever temporarily suppressed concerns about interest rate rises in Europe and the US

Insurance and reinsurance stocks tracked by WIR recovered somewhat during the fortnight ended 1 June. However, with a few exceptions, most of the resurgent stocks were those of European companies benefiting from the broader recovery in the market driven by the expectation of an increase in merger and acquisition activity in Europe which temporarly suppressed concerns about interest rate increases both in Europe and the US.