Investing.com - European stocks were higher on Tuesday, as investors continued to focus on developments in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 climbed 0.69%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.68%, while Germany’s DAX advanced 0.84%.
Tensions between Russia and the West remained high in the wake of the downing of a Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine late last week, while Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza was also in focus.
Markets turned their attention to a meeting of euro zone foreign ministers later on Tuesday to discuss further sanctions against Russia.
Separately, hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza mounted after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and United Nations chief Ban Ki Moon arrived in Cairo for talks aimed at stopping the violence.
Financial stocks were mixed, as Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) rose 0.31% and BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) declined 0.43% in France, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) eased 0.09%.
Among peripheral lenders, Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) fell 0.26% and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) added 0.14% in Italy, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) gained 0.29% and 0.48%.
Elsewhere, Norsk Hydro (OSLO:NHY) plunged 4% after the Norwegian aluminum producer reported earnings below estimates.
Publicis Groupe (PARIS:PUBP) added to losses, down 5.66%, as the French advertising company said second-quarter sales dropped 1.5% to €1.76 billion, below estimates.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 advanced 0.68%, boosted by gains in the mining sector.
Shares in Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) jumped 1.11% and Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) rallied 1.37%, while Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) and Antofagasta (LONDON:ANTO) surged 1.55% and 1.87% respectively.
Financial stocks were also broadly higher, as Barclays (LONDON:BARC) climbed 0.48% and Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) gained 0.50%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) advanced 0.60% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) jumped 1.31%.
Meanwhile, Royal Mail (LONDON:RMG) led losses on the index, with shares plummeting 3.73%, after saying parcels revenue declined 1% in the three months to June 29, compared with the same period last year. The company added that it was still likely to meet expectations for its overall annual performance.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.19% increase, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.15% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.20% gain.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release reports on consumer price inflation and existing home sales.