European markets close lower; oil and gas stocks trim gains following output cut

European stocks had a downbeat start to the week, ending the session 0.5% lower with most sectors in the red.

France’s CAC 40 fell 0.96%, Germany’s DAX was down 0.54% and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 dipped 0.1%.

Catherine Doyle, investment specialist at Newton Investment Management, says “we do actually quite like China in the near term, and [are] a bit more cautious … on the longer term.”

Euro zone business growth slowed in May, according to monthly purchasing managers’ index figures. The index number, which is viewed as a good indicator of general economic health, fell from 54.1 in April to 52.8 in May.

Any figure above 50 is considered a sign of growth, rather than contraction, but May’s figure fell short of the preliminary estimate of 53.3.

— Hannah Ward-Glenton

Boris Vujčić, member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank and governor of the Croatia National Bank, says, however, that more data is needed to determine “how quick this process is.”

UBS expects to complete its takeover of Credit Suisse “as early as June 12”, which will create a giant Swiss bank with a balance sheet of $1.6 trillion following a government-backed rescue earlier this year.

The deal’s completion is subject to the registration statement, which covers shares to be delivered, being declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and other remaining closing conditions, UBS said in a statement on Monday.

Read more here.

— Reuters

Indivior topped the Stoxx 600 index in early trading as shares jumped 10%.

The U.S. addiction treatment company, which has shares listed in London, said Friday it agreed to pay $102.5 million to settle a lawsuit by 41 U.S. states over claims it monopolized its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone.

European markets opened muted after ending on a high on Friday, as traders digest the U.S. debt ceiling agreement and euro zone inflation data.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.1% as markets opened, with sectors and major bourses a mixture of marginal gains and losses.

Two companies specializing in artificial intelligence are being underappreciated by the stock market, according to Frank Downing of Ark Investments.

Downing, director of research for ARK Next Generation Internet ETF, believes that as the cost of AI falls, investors should look for companies with niche use cases that can offer higher returns.

Downing suggests the stocks he’s picked could be significantly boosted by leveraging large language models like those made by OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Ganesh Rao

Oil prices rose after OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia decided to cut production by another million barrels per day.

Global benchmark Brent futures were up 2.4% at $78 a barrel Monday during early Asia trade, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 2.5% to $73.53 per barrel.

“The market did not widely expect the Saudi decision to cut production by 1 million barrels per day unilaterally,” president of Rapidan Energy Bob McNally told CNBC in an e-mail following the decision.

“It once again demonstrated that Saudi Arabia is willing to act unilaterally to stabilize oil prices,” McNally said.

—Lee Ying Shan

Wall Street analysts have recently been bullish on the metal, with Citi and Goldman predicting that prices are set to soar.

For those looking to buy into the sector, CNBC Pro screened for stocks in the Global X Copper Miners ETF, and the resulting stocks include one with nearly 100% upside.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Weizhen Tan

The U.K.’s FTSE index will open 11 points higher to 7,622, according to IG data, while Italy’s MIB will be up 61 points to 27,109. Both France and Germany’s major indexes look set to open lower, with the DAX dropping 15 points to 16,048 and the CAC shedding 4 points.

— Hannah Ward-Glenton