London - Europe's main stock indices rose Tuesday on mixed German data which showed that investors still see the current economic situation in Germany as being the best in years.
Frankfurt's DAX 30 index finished up 0.40 percent from Monday's closing level to stand at 11,939.58 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 gained 0.10 percent to 5,192.64 points.
Elsewhere, London's FTSE 100 index rose 0.15 percent to 7,062.93 points, boosted by some strong company results.
But uncertainty over Greece's ability to meet its debt payments continued to weigh on market sentiment, slashing the Athens index by 3.33 percent at the close.
The euro meanwhile stabilised at $1.0751 compared with $1.0741 late in New York on Monday.
In Frankfurt, a leading survey showed that German investor sentiment fell for the first time in six months in April as weak global growth weighed on confidence.
The widely watched investor confidence index calculated by the ZEW economic institute slipped by 1.5 points to 53.3 points in April, disappointing analysts' expectations for a further increase this month, ZEW said in a statement.
But the sub-index measuring financial market players' view of the current economic situation in Germany jumped by 15.1 points to 70.2 points in April, its highest level since July 2011.
"The April reading of ZEW only disappointed at first glance," said BayernLB economist Stefan Kipar.
"Overall, the data are positive. The German economy remains on a recovery path and the framework conditions -- a weak euro and low oil prices -- continue to be favourable," Kipar said.
"Germany is doing fine," agreed Berenberg Bank economist Holger Schmieding.
"Strong tailwinds from a robust labour market, low oil prices and a competitively priced exchange rate as well as the reform successes in countries such as Spain are propelling the German economy forward," Schmieding said.
Tuesday's gains follow a rebound on Monday after China announced a raft of stimulus measures to bolster growth.
AFP
