Investing.com - European stocks held steady on Tuesday, as markets took a breather from a recent multi-session rally in European equities, while still focusing on developments in Greece.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 dipped 0.02%, France’s CAC 40 inched 0.05% higher, while Germany’s DAX 30 edged up 0.08%.
Greek banks reopened on Monday following a forced 3-week closure, while restrictions on cash withdrawals remained in place.
Also Monday, Greece repaid the totality of its arrears of about €2.0 billion to the International Monetary Fund. "Greece is no longer in arrears to the IMF," the Fund's spokesman Gerry Rice announced on Monday.
Athens had fallen into arrears with the IMF on June 30 after the country missed a €1.6 billion payment.
"The Fund stands ready to continue assisting Greece in its efforts to return to financial stability and growth," Rice added.
The Greek Parliament was scheduled to vote on further austerity measures on Wednesday.
Financial stocks were mixed, as Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) edged up 0.18% and BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) dipped 0.03% in France, while Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) slipped 0.16% and Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) rose 0.30% in Germany.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) rose 0.08% and 0.33% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) and BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) added 0.21% and 0.35%.
Elsewhere, Hermes International (PARIS:HRMS) rallied 1.29% after reporting a 22% jump in second-quarter sales as growth in Japan offset a slowdown in Hong Kong and Macau.
On the downside, Novartis AG (SIX:NOVN) tumbled 1.76% after the Swiss drugmaker reported a 7% drop in second-quarter earnings.
In London, FTSE 100 dipped 0.07%.
Financial stocks were mixed, as Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) slipped 0.20% and 0.22% respectively, while HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) edged up 0.11% and Barclays (LONDON:BARC) added 0.24%.
In the mining sector, stocks were also mixed. Shares in Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) fell 0.17% and Anglo American (LONDON:AAL) dropped 0.77%, while Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) eased up 0.10% and Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) rose 0.36%.
Meanwhile, Pearson (LONDON:PSON) saw shares advance 0.76% despite reports it would be likely to suffer a hit of hundreds of millions of pounds if it sold the Financial Times, following news the publishing and education company is seeking a buyer for its newspaper.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.02% uptick, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.07% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.19% rise.