Investing.com - European stocks were steady to higher on Tuesday, as the European Central Bank's latest policy statement still lent some support and markets continued to monitor developments in Ukraine.
During European morning trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 eased up 0.02%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.13%, while Germany’s DAX inched 0.03% higher.
European equities strengthened broadly last week after the ECB cut rates to record lows across the euro zone and announced an asset-backed securities and covered bond purchasing program in an attempt to shore up slowing growth and inflation in the region.
Meanwhile, European Union governments put on hold for at least a "few days" new sanctions against Russia, allowing more time to assess the viability of a cease-fire in Ukraine.
The planned sanctions reportedly include barring some Russian state-owned defense and energy companies from raising capital in the EU.
Financial stocks were mostly higher, as BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) eased up 0.06% and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) rose 0.33% in France, while Germany's Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) gained 0.62% and 0.67%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) and Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) added 0.28% and 0.43% respectively. Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) underperformed however, sliding 0.35% and 0.45%.
Elsewhere, Alstom (PARIS:ALSO) was up only 0.06% after the French multinational company said it paid about €6.6 million in bribes over a six-year period to win transport contracts, according to filings from U.K. prosecutors released ahead of the case’s first court hearing today.
In London, FTSE 100 edged up 0.10%, supported by gains in the financial sector.
Shares in HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) inched up 0.07% and Barclays (LONDON:BARC) jumped 0.96%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) and Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) rallied 0.98% and 1.70% respectively.
Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. unit of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Citizens Financial Group said it is seeking to raise as much as $3.5 billion in the largest initial offering of a U.S. bank since Goldman Sachs went public in 1999.
In the mining sector, stocks were also broadly higher. Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) and Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) climbed 0.53% and 0.74%, while rivals Vedanta Resources (LONDON:VED) and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) advanced 0.83% and 1.09%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.07% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.03% uptick, while the NASDAQ 100 futures indicated a 0.03% rise.