Europe's main stock markets are trading on a hesitant note on Monday, at the start of a week marked by the publication of key inflation data in several eurozone countries and in the United States on Friday, and by the first round of early parliamentary elections in France.

The beginning of the session was also marked by the fall in metal prices, which weighed on the basic resources segment

(-0.36%) and on the London Stock Exchange, where mining stocks are heavily represented.

In Paris, the CAC 40 gained 0.26% to 7,648.63 points around 07:40 GMT. In Frankfurt, the Dax advanced by 0.13%, while in London, the FTSE 100 lost 0.12%.

The EuroStoxx 50 index is up 0.36%, the Stoxx 600 is up 0.1% and the FTSEurofirst 300 is down 0.06%.

Preliminary inflation data for several eurozone countries (France, Italy and Spain) for June will be published on Friday, ahead of those for the entire currency bloc on July 2. They will provide a first glimpse of price trends, an essential statistic for traders trying to anticipate the pace of rate cuts by the European Central Bank (ECB) this year.

Valneva gained 4.3% after the approval of its chikungunya vaccine in Canada, while argenx

gained 6.4% after announcing on Saturday the approval by the US FDA of Vyvgart Hytrulo for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Zalando gave up 5% after Morgan Stanley downgraded its recommendation on the stock to "online weighted", while Hochtief took 7.2% on an upgrade by Jefferies to "buy".

In Paris, trading in Eurofins was suspended after a 15% fall, following a note from financial research firm Muddy Waters recommending a "short" position on the stock.

(Written by Augustin Turpin, edited by Blandine Hénault)