Investing.com - European stocks were mixed on Tuesday, as concerns over Greece's bailout deal continued to weigh on equity markets and investors eyed the European Central Bank's upcoming policy meeting on Wednesday.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 0.35%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.06%, while Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.21%.
Investors remained cautious as Greece continued to face a debt default unless it can reach a deal with its international creditors by the end of April.
The government said on Monday that it has decided to withhold €2.5 billion of payments due to the International Monetary Fund in May and June if no agreement is struck.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) and BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) climbed 0.65% and 0.49%, while Germany's Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) advanced 0.63% and 0.74%.
Among peripheral lenders however, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) slipped 0.06% and 0.12% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) lost 0.11% and 2.22%.
Elsewhere, Alcatel-Lucent (PARIS:ALUA) surged 13.34% the French telecom equipment group and rival company Nokia Oyj (HEL:NOK1V) confirmed they are in talks for a full combination via a public exchange offer by Nokia for Alcatel-Lucent.
Shares in Nokia were down 6.18% following the news.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.24%, boosted by sharp gains in energy and mining stocks.
Mining giants Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) and Anglo American (LONDON:AAL) rallied 1.43% and 1.46%, while Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) jumped 1.79% and Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) surged 1.87%.
Meanwhile, provider of oilfield services Petrofac (LONDON:PFC) climbed 1.86% and oil and gas giant Tullow Oil (LONDON:TLW) soared 585%, leading gains on the index.
In the financial sector, stocks were also broadly higher. Shares in Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) rose 0.31% and HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) gained 0.40%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) and Barclays (LONDON:BARC) rallied 1.01% and 1.41% respectively.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.26% increase, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.26% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.22% rise.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on retail sales and producer prices.