LONDON — European stocks kicked off 2022 with a bang on Monday, with most major regional indexes closing higher on the first trading day of the new year.

Germany’s DAX provisionally ended up 0.8%, while France’s CAC 40 closed 0.9% higher. Italy’s FTSE MIB rose 1.4% after a flat start to the session and Spain’s IBEX was up 0.5%.

Markets in the U.K. and Ireland and closed for the new year holiday, which means trading volumes in the region could be thinner on Monday.

The Stoxx 600 index closed 0.5% higher on Monday, with almost all sectors in positive territory. German airline Lufthansa was the best performer, its share price up 8.8% after Citigroup upgraded the stock rating to buy from sell. German software company Nemetschek was among the worst performers, down 4.5%.

The positive start for Europe comes after more choppy trade in Asia overnight, where shares were mixed on Monday. Some major markets in the region (namely Australia, mainland China and Japan) were also closed Monday for a holiday.

Trading in the shares and structured products of debt-ridden Chinese developer China Evergrande Group was halted in Hong Kong, according to an exchange notice. No immediate reason was given for the suspension.

Meanwhile, U.S. stocks rose sharply on Monday as market participants showed hope about the economy’s ability to overcome the surge in Covid cases.

The new year starts with continued uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic, however. The rise of the omicron variant helped lead to thousands of flight cancellations during the holiday season and has led some businesses and schools to consider temporary closures. Several major Wall Street banks have asked employees to work from home for the first few weeks of January.