European shares closed higher on Tuesday, buoyed by gains in the energy sector, while investors digested a slew of economic data that painted a mixed picture of the region’s economic health.The Iseq finished in positive territory, having spent much of the early part of the session in the doldrums. The index climbed 0.7 per cent, led higher by a 3.25 per cent gain for Ryanair. The airline closed at €19.22 on a day that also saw advances for food groups Kerry and Glanbia.
Kerry climbed 1 per cent to €93.85, while Glanbia finished up 1.5 per cent at €13.74. Kingspan edged lower, however, with the building materials company closing down 0.3 per cent at €69.95, and the banks were also in the red on a weak day for financial stocks generally, with Bank of Ireland down 1.1 per cent at €8.74 and AIB slipping 0.2 per cent to €5.36.The UK’s FTSE 100 nudged down 0.1 per cent as declines in banking stocks offset gains in energy shares, and the market awaited economic data from around the globe to gauge the monetary policy outlook.Financial stocks were the main drags on the FTSE 100, with heavyweight HSBC down 1.1 per cent and NatWest Group off 3.5 per cent. Adding to the gloom, data showed activity in Britain’s construction industry grew at the slowest pace in six months in December and British house prices dropped unexpectedly last month for the first time since March. Taylor Wimpey dropped