Investing.com - European stocks were mostly higher on Tuesday, as investors eyed the release of euro zone inflation and unemployment data later in the day, as well as the European Central Bank's monthly policy meeting on Thursday.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 rose 0.33%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.50%, while Germany’s DAX inched up 0.02%.
Market participants also continued to watch events in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy protests continued into Tuesday, halting some activity in the territory's business hub.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) climbed 0.75% and 0.79%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) rose 0.32%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) gained 0.46% and 0.78% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) advanced 0.71% and 0.73%.
Elsewhere, Prysmian (MILAN:PRY) saw shares climb 0.63% after the world's largest cable maker said there will be no additional costs or delays for its Western Link project.
In July, the company had cut its profit guidance and forecast a delay of six to nine months for the interconnector between Scotland and England after running into manufacturing difficulties.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 slipped 0.09%, weighed by Next (LONDON:NXT), down 3.64% as the retailer announced that it will probably cut its annual profit forecast if the warm weather in the U.K. continues throughout October.
Rival clothing retailer Marks & Spencer (LONDON:MKS) added to losses with shares plummeting 3.23%.
Mining stocks were also mostly lower, as Vedanta Resources (LONDON:VED) slumped 0.41% and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) declined 0.55%, while rival Fresnillo (LONDON:FRES) retreated 0.66%.
In the financial sector, stocks were broadly higher. Shares in Barclays (LONDON:BARC) gained 0.50% and Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) advanced 0.59%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) surged 4.23%. HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) underperformed however, dropping 0.54%.
RBS was boosted after saying after saying that total impairment charges for this year will be lower than previously forecast.
Also on the upside, Wolseley (LONDON:WOS) jumped 1.09% after the distributor of building materials and bathroom supplies said that full-year earnings climbed 9.9% to 196.2 pence a share.
The company also said it will buy back as much as £250 million of its own shares within the next 12 months.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.14% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.16% rise, while the NASDAQ 100 futures indicated a 0.25% increase.
Later in the day, the euro zone was to release preliminary data on consumer inflation and unemployment, while Germany was to publish data on unemployment.
The U.S. was to publish data on business activity in the Chicago region and a report on consumer confidence.