The STOXX 600 European oil and gas index (.SXEP) is at its highest since mid-February, having gained around 13.5% in the past two months. In the same period, benchmark Brent crude has risen 18% and European natural gas prices have gained 50%. He said higher oil prices could prompt upgrades to earnings estimates, and potentially dividends too. "The whole energy sector should benefit, but the downstream sector is looking very cheap and offers a high dividend which is attractive given higher interest rates," said Cau. Bank of America strategists have an underweight rating on European energy stocks.

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Persons: Heinz, Peter Bader, Brent, Mislav Matejka, Morgan Stanley, Emmanuel Cau, Andreas Bruckner, Lucy Raitano, Amanda Cooper, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, Reuters, JPMorgan, Barclays, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: Zistersdorf, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China