Investing.com - European stocks were little changed on Tuesday, after the announcement of a fresh round of sanctions against Russia and as markets eyed the release of second-quarter earnings reports, as well as the Federal Reserve's policy statement due on Wednesday.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 eased up 0.06%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.01%, while Germany’s DAX inched up 0.06%.
On Monday, European leaders, along with the U.S. President Barack Obama, announced a fresh round of sanctions against Moscow, including penalties against the country's financial, defense and energy sectors.
These measures are in reaction to Russia's alleged involvement in the violence in eastern Ukraine and the downing of a passenger jet earlier in the month. Representatives from the European Union were set to meet again on Tuesday to reach a final deal on the sanctions.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) and BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) rose 0.05% and 0.28%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) declined 0.39% even after reporting that second quarter pretax profit climbed 16%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) gained 0.38% and 0.39% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) both eased 0.07%.
Elsewhere, Michelin (PARIS:MICP) tumbled 1.38% after the tiremaker reported lower than forecast first-half earnings.
Airbus Group (PARIS:AIR) added to losses, down 0.69%, as the group said it terminated an order for six A380s from Skymark Airlines.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.32%, supported by gains in the mining sector.
Shares in Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) added 0.19% and Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) climbed 0.43%, while rivals Fresnillo (LONDON:FRES) and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) and advanced 0.85% and 0.98% respectively.
BP (LONDON:BP) was also on the upside, with shares gaining 0.45%, after the oil and gas major reported a 34% increase in second-quarter profit.
In the financial sector, stocks were broadly higher. Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) both edged up 0.13%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) added 0.17% and Barclays (LONDON:BARC) climbed 0.53%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.01% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.05% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.03% downtick.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish reports on house price inflation and consumer confidence.