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European stocks opened cautiously higher Monday, looking for a fresh start after the weakest quarter of the year and two straight monthly declines.

The regional Stoxx 600 index was up by 0.3% at 8:10 a.m. London time, with France’s CAC 40 gaining 0.5%, Germany’s DAX up by 0.36% and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 up 0.07%.

House prices in the U.K. held steady on the prior month in September, but they were down 5.3% year on year, according to lender Nationwide.

That follows a monthly fall of 0.8% in August.

Robert Gardner, chief economist at Nationwide, said market activity remained weak and mortgage approvals were around 30% lower than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Gardner noted that lower investor expectations for the Bank of England’s peak rate had put downward pressure on the longer-term interest rates which underpin fixed rate mortgages, potentially easing pressure on new buyers and those remortgaging.

“Nevertheless, with Bank Rate not expected to decline significantly in the years ahead, borrowing costs are unlikely to return to the historic lows seen in the aftermath of the pandemic. Instead, it appears more likely that a combination of solid income growth together with modestly lower house prices and mortgage rates will gradually improve affordability over time, with housing market activity remaining fairly subdued in the interim,” he said.

— Jenni Reid

Veteran emerging markets investor Mark Mobius has named two tech giants as key stocks in any portfolio investing in developing economies.

Mobius said the Chinese technology giants “could be the foundation of any portfolio” despite recent volatility. They are “still making good profits,” he said, despite the “incredible” decline in their share prices over the past three years.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Ganesh Rao

Goldman Sachs is bullish on one sector it describes as the “largest source of renewable energy in the world.”

It named several global stocks that are slated to benefit from the global push toward sustainability and the renewable energy transition.

CNBC Pro subscribers can find the stock picks here.

— Amala Balakrishner

European markets are expected to open higher Monday.

The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 5 points higher at 7,627, Germany’s DAX up 59 points at 15,455, France’s CAC up 20 points at 7,167 and Italy’s FTSE MIB up 133 points at 28,350, according to data from IG. 

There are no major earnings or data releases.

— Holly Ellyatt