Investing.com - European stocks were steady to higher on Tuesday, as markets were jittery before the results of the U.S. presidential election and as disappointing Chinese trade data dampened market sentiment.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.29%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.04%, while Germany’s DAX 30 inched up 0.01%.
Sentiment remained mildly supported after the FBI informed Congress over the weekend that it had "not changed its conclusions" on the private email server maintained by Hillary Clinton, adding to expectations that the Democratic candidate could win Tuesday’s election.
However, data earlier Tuesday showed that China’s trade surplus widened to $49.06 billion in October from $41.99 billion the previous month, disappointing expectations for a trade surplus of $51.70 billion.
The report showed that China’s imports declined by an annualized rate of 1.4% last month, while exports dropped 7.3%.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) slipped 0.23% and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) inched up 0.04% in France, while Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) lost 1.22% and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) advanced 0.86% in Germany.
French lender Credit Agricole (PA:CAGR) saw shares surge 4.61% after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter net income, thanks to a successful restructuring process.
Among peripheral lenders, Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) dipped 0.05% and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) tumbled 1.55% in Italy, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BBVA (MC:BBVA) gained 0.80% and 1.25%.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) AG retreated 0.98% after German prosecutors widened their criminal investigation into whether the company misled investors by concealing the extent of the 'dieselgate' scandal to include Hans Dieter Pötsch, who was promoted to be supervisory board chairman last year after the scandal broke.
In London, FTSE 100 inched up 0.03%, led by Associated British Foods (LON:ABF), whose shares soared 8.20% after it said full-year pre-tax profit rose to £1.04 billion from £707 million in the previous year.
Mining stocks were also broadly higher on the commodity-heavy index, with Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) climbing 0.53% and Fresnillo (LON:FRES) iup 0.70%, while BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) and Randgold Resources (LON:RRS) jumped 1.27% and 1.72% respectively.
Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LON:MKS) edged up 0.10% even after the retailer reporting a 90% drop in half-year profits.
In the financial sector, stocks were broadly lower. Shares in Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) dipped 0.07% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) dropped 0.88%, while Barclays (LON:BARC) retreated 0.97% and HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) lost 1.06%.
RBS earlier announced plans to create a £400 million scheme to reimburse customers that have been mistreated.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% downtick, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.06% dip, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.10% fall.