FTSE up 0.60%; DAX up 0.38%; CAC 40 up 0.76% (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - London, 18 Jun - European shares closed higher as investors spotted buying opportunities following sharp losses last week and as investors looked ahead to a string of monetary policy meetings and data from central bankers this week for indications on interest rate moves.

On Thursday, the Bank of England is due to make a new interest rate decision, with the central bank widely expected to hold rates steady at 5.25%. A majority of economists polled by Reuters forecast a cut in August.

Central banks in Norway and Switzerland are also due to meet this week, with the former expected to hold steady on rates and the latter to cut by another 25 basis points.

Traders also looked ahead to comments from Federal Reserve officials later in the day for fresh clues on the US central bank's rate path after last week's policy decision to keep rates on hold.

On the data front, eurozone annual inflation figures from EU statistical office Eurostat matched preliminary data, confirming that the annual inflation rate in the bloc rose to 2.6% in May from 2.4% in April.

The economic sentiment index in Germany in June inched up by 0.4 points compared to the previous month to 47.5, according to the latest survey released by think tank ZEW.

The assessment of the economic situation deteriorated slightly, falling by 1.5 points to -73.8 points.

The London FTSE 100 closed up 0.60% at 8,191.29 points, the Frankfurt DAX added 0.38% at 18,142.75 points, the Paris CAC 40 rose 0.76% at 7,628.80 points, while in Milan the FTSE MIB gained 1.24% at 33,315.68 points, and in Madrid the IBEX 35 closed 1.00% higher at 11,069.00 points.

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(RADIOCOR) 18-06-24 18:05:19 (0605) 5 NNNN