Investing.com - European stocks were mixed on Tuesday, as markets were jittery ahead of data on German economic sentiment, as well as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's testimony before Congress.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 fell 0.24%, France’s CAC 40 eased up 0.02%, while Germany’s DAX inched down 0.04%.
Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen was set to testify before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the minutes of the Federal Reserve's June policy meeting released last week, the U.S. central bank predicted an October close to its bond-buying stimulus program but did not hint at a timetable as to when interest rates may begin to rise afterwards.
Financial stocks were broadly lower, as French lenders Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) and BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) slipped 0.01% and 0.31%, while Germany's Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) retreated 0.77%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) dropped 0.63% and 0.72% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) declined 0.53% and 2.22%.
Elsewhere, Software AG (XETRA:SOWG) saw shares dive 14% after saying the margin on full-year operating profit may be as little as 26%, down from a previous estimate of 26.8%.
On the upside, Hennes & Mauritz (ST:HMb) rallied 1.77% after the clothing retailer said sales climbed 12% in June, above expectations for a 9.4% increase.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.22%, supported by gains in the mining sector.
Shares in Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) rose 0.36% and Randgold Resources (LONDON:RRS) advanced 1.08%, while rivals Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) and Fresnillo (LONDON:FRES) surged 1.22% and 2.18% respectively.
In the financial sector, stocks were also mostly higher. HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) edged up 0.15% and Barclays (LONDON:BARC) added 0.26%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) climbed 0.76%. Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) underperformed on the other hand, down 0.26%.
Meanwhile, St James'S Place (LONDON:SJP) led losses on the index, with shares plummeting 1.15%, after JPMorgan Chase reiterated the stock's "overweight" rating.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately higher open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.09% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.01% uptick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.10% rise.
Later in the day, the ZEW Institute was to release its closely watched report on German economic sentiment, while the U.S. was to release data on retail sales, as well as data on import prices, business inventories and manufacturing activity in the Empire state.