stock moves, earnings and the latest data releases

LONDON — European stocks fell on Monday as the first trading day in September kicked off and investors considered the outlook for markets.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was last down by 0.42% at 9:06 a.m. London time, with most regional bourses and sectors pulling back. Autos were last 1.03% lower.

Shares in real estate listings company Rightmove soared as much as 24% as markets opened and were last up 21.16% after its Australian rival REA Group said it was considering making an offer for for the U.K.-based platform.

Regional markets closed higher last Friday, the last trading day of August, as investors considered inflation data from around the world and expectations rise that the U.S. Federal Reserve will begin interest rate cuts in September.

Data released last week showed the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index, rose 0.2% on a monthly basis in July and 2.5% from a year ago. The result was in line with estimates from economists polled by Dow Jones. Excluding food and energy, it also rose 0.2% from the prior month. The data is likely to influence policymakers’ rate decision in September.

Asia-Pacific markets fell overnight as investors assessed China’s business activity numbers released over the weekend. China’s official purchasing managers’ index data for August saw the manufacturing PMI fall to a six-month low of 49.1, a faster contraction than the 49.4 seen in July.

Data releases in Europe on Monday include the latest manufacturing PMIs from Spain, Italy, France, U.K. and Germany. There are no major earnings releases.

U.S. markets are closed on Monday for the Labor Day public holiday.