Stocks in Europe kicked off the last week of October in the green, with the STOXX 50 rising 0.3% and the STOXX 600 up 0.1%, both nearing record highs and tracking gains in global equities. Sentiment was supported by reports that US and Chinese officials reached a preliminary framework for a trade deal, to be approved by Presidents Trump and Xi during their meeting on Thursday in South Korea. Meanwhile, traders are bracing for a series of key monetary policy decisions this week, including from the ECB and the Fed. The ECB is expected to keep borrowing costs unchanged, while the Fed is widely anticipated to cut the federal funds rate by 25bps. On the corporate front, ASML Holding gained 1.2% and Porsche extended gains (3.9%). In contrast, Novartis fell 0.9% after announcing plans to acquire biotechnology firm Avidity Biosciences in a $12 billion deal, and HSBC declined 0.9% after disclosing a $1.1 billion provision related to claims from investors who lost money in Madoff’s fraud.