European stocks rebound unevenly as French shares lag on fiscal jitters

European shares rose in the latest session as markets recovered from last week's selloff, though French stocks lagged the rest of the region. French debt yields rose on fiscal worries, weighing on sentiment toward French equities even as peers advanced. The divergence showed up across a batch of September PMI readings released the same day. Spain's services sector posted its joint-fastest growth in three and a half years, and Ireland's services demand hit a ten-month high. Singapore's business activity growth stayed strong. By contrast, Germany's machinery orders fell 5% in August on weaker domestic and foreign demand, and South Africa's private sector contracted at its fastest pace since December, with the broader South African economy also contracting in September. The mixed PMI picture leaves open whether the European equity rebound can broaden beyond services-heavy economies like Spain and Ireland, or whether weakness in German industrial orders and French fiscal strain will cap gains in the sessions ahead.