Investing.com - European stocks registered mixed trade on Tuesday as a suspected terrorist attack in Berlin weighed on sentiment, but corporate movements pushed buyers into the market.
In mid-morning European trade, the Euro Stoxx 50 gained 0.31%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.37%, while Germany’s DAX 30 inched up 0.07%.
A truck plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin early Tuesday morning, reportedly killing 12 people and injuring 48 others. Berlin police speculated that it was driven intentionally into the crowd as part of a suspected terrorist attack.
The incident occurred on the back of a shooting of Russia’s ambassador in Turkey on Monday, reportedly by an off-duty policeman.
Supporting sentiment, a series of corporate movements gave investors an excuse to buy on Tuesday.
Mediaset (MI:MS) soared nearly 18% on Tuesday after French media firm Vivendi (PA:VIV) said it was prepared to increase its stake in the Italian rival to 30%, the legal threshold prior to being required to launch an all-out takeover offer.
Lloyds (LON:LLOY) also announced an agreement to buy Bank of America's (NYSE:BAC) credit card unit MBNA for £1.9 billion ($2.4 billion).
Also improving sentiment in the European financial sector, the Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni announced late Monday a plan to request €20 billion ($20.8 billion) from the country's parliament to shore up its financial system, including its most troubled bank Monte dei Paschi.
The European data calendar was light on Tuesday with German factory gate prices rising more than expected in November, though at a slower pace than the month before.
Separately, the euro zone current account balance widened in October, while investment in the region fell.
Elsewhere, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) followed market expectations as it kept monetary policy steady, reaffirming twin targets of minus 0.10% interest on excess reserves and the 0% target on the 10-year government bond yield. The BoJ also gave a more upbeat view of the economy, raising its outlook for the first time since May 2015.
Meanwhile, oil prices were steady on Tuesday as investors began to square their books for the end of the year holidays.
Energy stocks traded slightly higher, as French oil and gas major Total SA (PA:TOTF) gained 0.34% but Italy’s ENI (MI:ENI) and Norwegian rival Statoil (OL:STL) traded flat.
Financial stocks were broadly higher on the improved sentiment, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) gained 0.71% and 0.52%, respectively, while Germany’s Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) jumped 1.42% and 1.74%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) gained 1.00% and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) traded up 2.19%, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) advanced 0.31% and 0.24%, respectively.
In London, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 slipped 0.09%, as mining stops moved lower.
Shares in Glencore (LON:GLEN) tumbled 1.15%, Anglo American (LON:AAL) slipped 0.09%, Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) fell 0.22% and BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) lost 0.43%.
Energy stocks also saw losses, as BP (LON:BP) fell 0.18% and rival Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSa) traded down 0.24%.
Financial stocks were mixed, with shares in HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) down 0.84% though the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) gained 0.38%, while Barclays (LON:BARC) and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) led advancers with gains of 0.74% and 1.76% respectively.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a slightly higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.09% rise, S&P 500 futures a 0.11% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.06% increase.