was 0.75% by 11:10 a.m., with all major bourses and virtually all sectors in the green. Banks were up 1.33% while tech stocks were 1.23% higher.
Shares of Commerzbank hit a 12-year high on reports from Bloomberg that UniCredit is seeking approval from the European Central Bank to build up a 30% stake in the company. Shares pared earlier gains to trade nearly flat.It follows a negative start to the week for the regional benchmark, which closed 0.2% lower Monday.
Investors are awaiting key monetary policy decisions the week, with the U.S. Federal Reserve widely expected to cut rates for the first time in four years on Wednesday.were mixed on Tuesday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping over 2% as the yen strengthened ahead of the Fed decision. Back in Europe, German economic sentiment darkened slightly in September in another sign of woe for the country's troubled economy, the ZEW Economic Sentiment Index showed Tuesday.European markets close lower as bumper week for central banks kick off