Investing.com - European stocks were mixed on Tuesday, after Italy's central bank governor questionned the efficiency of the European Central Bank's quantitative easing program and as investors eyed upcoming data from Germany and the euro zone.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased 0.06%, France’s CAC 40 inched up 0.03%, while Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.24%.
Markets were jittery after Italy's central bank governor expressed concerns on Monday over that the pace of the euro's fall since the ECB launched its trillion-euro quantitative easing program early last week.
He added that there were risks the program could overshoot its goal, as well as fuel an excessive rise in asset prices.
European equities were boosted last week after the ECB began purchasing securities as part of an asset-buying program amounting to €60 billion a month.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) rose 0.38% and 0.13%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) gained 0.26%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) added 0.23% and 0.24% respectively. Italy's Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) underperformed however, falling 0.20% and 0.41%.
Elsewhere, Adidas (XETRA:ADSGN) tumbled 1.26% after the German sportswear giant announced that its 11-year merchandising partnership with the National Basketball Association will end when the contract expires in 2017.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 advanced 0.51%, boosted by gains in energy and mining stocks.
Oil and gas major BP (LONDON:BP) saw shares rally 1.87%, while rival company Tullow Oil (LONDON:TLW) led gains on the index, with shares surging 3.59%.
Among mining stocks, Fresnillo (LONDON:FRES) climbed 0.46% and Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) advanced 0.87%, while Bhp Billiton (LONDON:BLT) and Glencore Xstrata (LONDON:GLEN) jumped 1.41% and 1.60% respectively.
Financial stocks were also mostly higher, as HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) added 0.24% and Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) rose 0.37%, while shares in Barclays (LONDON:BARC) gained 0.74%. The Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) underperformed on the other hand, with shares slipping 0.20%.
In earnings news, J Sainsbury (OTC:JSAIY) reported a lower-than-estimated decline in quarterly same-store sales, sending shares in the U.K.'s third-largest grocer up 0.97%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.02% dip, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.10% rise.
Later in the day, the ZEW Institute was to release a report on German economic sentiment, as well as revised data on consumer inflation. The U.S. was to report on building permits and housing starts.