Investing.com - Spain's benchmark index rallied on Wednesday, as political tensions in the country temporarily subsided, with other European markets opened mixed.
The EURO STOXX 50 added 0.13%, France’s CAC 40 fell 0.24%, while Germany’s DAX 30 inched up 0.07% and Spain's IBEX 35 was up 1.24% by 03:40 a.m. ET (07:40 GMT).
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont on Tuesday signed a document proclaiming the region's independence from Spain, but he also suspended the move for the coming weeks to allow for talks with the Spanish government, averting an immediate crisis.
The Spanish government was scheduled toconvene in Madrid on Wednesday to shore up its response to the Catalan independence movement.
Financial stocks were mixed, as Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) edged up 0.11% and BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) eased 0.09% in France, while Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) slipped 0.15% and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) gained 0.48% in Germany.
Among peripheral lenders, Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) dropped 0.81% and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) advanced 0.65% in Italy, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BBVA (MC:BBVA) surged 2.32% and 2.41% respectively.
Elsewhere, Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DE:LHAG) saw shares climb 0.59% after the German airliner announced plans to work with blockchain travel distribution company Winding Tree.
Winding Tree also said it will launch a token sale on November 1 to establish its cryptocurrency, Lif.
In London, FTSE 100 dipped 0.06%, weighed by Provident Financial (LON:PFG), whose shares dove 9.38% after the company was fined £75,000 by watchdogs for a mass text message and email spamming campaign.
According to the Information Commissioner's Office, subsidiary group Vanquis Bank sent 870,849 spam text messages and 620,000 spam emails to promote its credit cards, thus breaking the law because recipients had not consented to be contacted.
Mining stocks added to losses on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in Glencore (LON:GLEN) dipped 0.07% and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) fell 0.28%, while rival company BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) slumped 0.79%.
Financial stocks were also mostly lower, as HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) edged down 0.16% and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) dropped 0.54%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) retreated 0.72%. Barclays (LON:BARC) overperformed however, with shares up 0.26%.
Meanwhile, Royal Mail (LON:RMG) was one of the best performers on the index, whose shares surged 2.77% after the mail company said it is applying for a High Court injuction to stop workers from going on strike over the changes to the group's pension plan.
The strike is scheduled to start on October 19 and last for 48 hours.
Smith & Nephew (LON:SN) was also on the upside, as shares rallied 2.72% following news billionaire Paul Singer’s hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. has built a stake in the medical equipment manufacturer.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.09% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.09% fall.