Investing.com - European stocks were higher on Tuesday, as market sentiment improved after the highly-anticipated debate between U.S. Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.51%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.34%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.19%.
Concerns related to the U.S, Presidential debate late Monday eased as analysts considered that Hillary Clinton did better than her rival Donald Trump.
Energy-related stocks were mixed as market participants were also eyeing an informal meeting of OPEC members this week to discuss a potential production freeze.
French oil and gas major Total SA (PA:TOTF) gained 0.52% and Italy’s ENI (MI:ENI) climbed 0.65%, while Norwegian rival Statoil (OL:STL) slipped 0.16%.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) rose 0.32% and 0.39%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) rallied 1.58% after plunging over 6% on Monday due to reports reports the German government ruled out state assistance for the bank.
Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) underperformed however, with shares down 0.56% following news the lender is planning to cut around 9,000 jobs over the coming years.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) advanced 0.56% and 0.29% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) rose 0.55% and 0.52%.
Elsewhere, French telecoms group Orange SA (PA:ORAN) surged 2.14% after analysts at Credit Suisse (SIX:CSGN) upgraded the stock to an ‘outperform’ rating.
In London, FTSE 100 added 0.18%, helped by Carnival (LON:CCL) Plc, whose shares jumped 2.53% raised its earnings guidance and reported a 17% profit increase in the latest quarter.
Financial stocks added to gains, as Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) edged up 0.18% and Barclays (LON:BARC) rose 0.27%, while HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) rallied 1.46%. The Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) underperformed, with shares slipping 0.20%.
In the mining sector, stocks were mostly higher as well. Shares in BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) edged up 0.14% and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) added 0.18%, while Fresnillo (LON:FRES) advanced 1.56%.
Meanwhile, Wolseley (LON:WOS) was one of the worst performers on the index, as shares plummeted 3.44%, after the plumbing distributor reported a 7% increase in full-year underlying trading profit, slightly below analysts' expectations, and said that demand across markets remains "mixed."
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.43% gain, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.43% increase, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.44% climb.