Market Update
Shares in Europe stepped higher in early trade, after starting in the red, amid rising optimism Euro-zone authorities will be able to manage the region's debt crisis that has weighed on equities in recent times.
At the time of writing, Britain's FTSE, France's CAC and Germany's DAX were trading 0.1% to 0.3% higher.
Asian markets were trading broadly higher, shrugging off weak Chinese trade data. In commodities, gold price rose while crude oil edged lower.
In major movers, Carrefour SA fell 3.4% after the firm lowered its profit guidance while Alcatel-Lucent jumped 11% on reports it will sell its call-centre unit Genesys for $1.5 billion.
Shares in Rolls-Royce Group Plc surged 7.5% after Pratt & Whitney said it was buying the former's 15% stake in a jet-engine venture, International Aero Engines, for $1.5 billion.
In sector movers, financials were broadly higher, with Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Deutsche Bank rising between 1.1% and 2%, offsetting selling in miners: Xstrata, Anglo American and Fresnillo were off 0.5% to 2%.