Shares in Europe rose early Wednesday, but gains remained capped on sovereign concerns ahead of a debt auction by Portugal and after Moody's downgraded several banks of the country.
At 12:45 p.m. (I.S.T.), Britain's FTSE and Germany's DAX rose 0.3% while France's CAC edged up 0.1%.
Financials traded broadly lower with Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale losing 0.7% to 2.3%.
But miners rose in early trade: BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata climbed 0.3% to 0.6%.
In news-driven movers, retailer Marks & Spencer jumped 4.2% after posting a trading update, with sales exceeding expectations.