BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks edged higher on Monday as renewed hopes for robust earnings helped investors look past the possibility of rising Covid-19 cases and extended lockdowns.
Amid growing frustration over vaccination availability, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte described delays in consignments by Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc as 'unacceptable.'
Elsewhere, U.K. health minister Matt Hancock warned that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against new variants of the disease.
The benchmark DAX was marginally higher at 13,886 after declining 0.2 percent on Friday.
In stock-specific action, Siemens Energy shares rallied 2.5 percent. The company, which was spun off from Siemens AG last year, reported that preliminary revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 increased by 2.6 percent to 6.54 billion euros. The company confirmed its outlook for fiscal year 2021.
Merck KgaA rose over 1 percent. EMD Serono, the healthcare business sector of the German company and Pfizer Inc. said that the European Commission has approved Bavencio or avelumab as monotherapy for the first-line maintenance treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.
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