Investing.com - European shares pushed higher after the open on Tuesday, as investors reacted to the news of a deadly suicide bombing at a pop concert in Manchester.
London’s FTSE 100 was up 0.2%, holding just below record highs, supported by the weaker pound.
Sterling slipped after police confirmed that 22 people were killed, including some children, and 59 injured after an explosion at Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by Ariana Grande.
The perpetrator was a man acting alone, who died at the scene after detonating an improvised explosive device, the police said.
All political campaigning ahead of the UK general elections, due to be held on June 8, was suspended until further notice.
Germany’s DAX rose 0.2%, while France’s CAC 40 gained 0.44%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 was little changed.
Tech firms were the strongest gainers, as shares in Nokia (HE:NOKIA) jumped more than 6% to their highest levels in over a year after settling a patent dispute with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).
Mining groups, including BHP Billiton (LON:BLT), Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) and Anglo American (LON:AAL), were all lower as copper prices fell.
Market sentiment received a boost after data showing that euro zone private sector growth held steady at a six year high in May.
The composite euro zone PMI, which tracks company growth across the euro area, came in 56.8 in May, matching April’s figure.
Meanwhile, Greece remained in focus after the country’s creditors failed to reach a deal to unlock the next installment of its bailout loans.
The yield on Greece’s benchmark 10-year bonds jumped to 5.78%, up from 5.6% late Monday.