Investing.com - European stocks were higher on Wednesday, as investors eyed the Federal Reserve's upcoming policy statement due later in the day and as comments by the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday continued to support.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 rose 0.30%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.27%, while Germany’s DAX edged up 0.15%.
European equities found support on Tuesday after the IMF said the European Central Bank should consider all unconventional measures, including quantitative easing, and should implement them as soon as they are ready.
Investors remained cautious however, after Reuters reported on Monday that a Russian soldier had shot dead a Ukrainian naval officer in Crimea.
This came after a pro-Russian protest in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, where demonstrators stormed government buildings in several major cities.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas (BNPP.PAR) added 0.16% and Societe Generale (SOGN.PAR) edged down 0.24% in France, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.XETRA) slipped 0.18%
Among peripheral lenders, Unicredit (CRDI.MILAN) tumbled 1.26% and Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MILAN) gained 0.68% in Italy, while Spanish banks BBVA (BBVA.MADRID) and Banco Santander (SAN.MADRID) added 0.13% and 0.30% respectively.
Elsewhere, Daimler (DAIGn.XETRA) rose 0.39% after the automaker said it is maintaining forecasts that sales will grow faster than those of competitors and operating profit will "significantly" rise this year.
Indesit Company (INDm.BS) was also on the upside, with shares surging 3.03%, following reports Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) may offer to buy the company.
In London, FTSE 100 gained 0.38%, supported by gains in the financial sector.
Shares in Barclays (BARC.LSE) inched up 0.01% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.LSE) advanced 0.84%, while HSBC Holdings (HSBA.LSE) and Lloyds Banking (LLOY.LSE) jumped 1.07% and 1.21% respectively.
Improvement retailer Kingfisher (KGF.LSE) added to gains, up 1.42%, after UBS recommended that investors buy the stock.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were broadly lower, as Bhp Billiton (BLT.LSE) slipped 0.29% and Fresnillo (FRES.LSE) dropped 0.52%, while Rio Tinto (RIO.LSE) declined 0.61% and Antofagasta (ANTO.LSE) plummeted 1.09%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately higher open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.10% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.02% uptick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.09% gain.
Also Wednesday, official data showed that Germany's trade surplus narrowed to €15.7 billion, from €17.3 billion in January, whose figure was revised up from an initially estimated surplus of €17.2 billion.
Analysts had expected the trade surplus to expand to €17.8 billion in February.