European stock markets advanced on Tuesday, as mining companies made gains in the wake of a surprise decision by Australia's central bank to leave its interest rates unchanged.
France’s CAC 40 was up 0.62%; Germany's DAX rose 0.49%; the EURO STOXX 50 was up 0.58%; and Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 0.23%.
However, oil giant BP PLC exerted downward pressure as its shares plummeted 4.78%, after its earnings fell short of analysts' expectations.
The outlook for U.S. markets, meanwhile, was rosy as Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a rise of 0.14%, S&P 500 futures pointed to an increase of 0.25% and Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a rise of 0.01%.