Markets Rise in Europe

The vast majority of stock indices in Europe were higher Tuesday, save sluggishness in Italy, Ireland and Norway.

London's FTSE 100 was adding 0.1% to 6243, and Frankfurt's Xetra DAX was up 0.9% at 6790. The OMX Stockholm 30 was a big winner in Europe, gaining more than 1%.

In Eastern Europe, Croatia's Zagreb Crobex jumped 2.4%, and the Slovenian Blue Chip Index was ahead by 2.2%.

Turning to Asia, most of Japan's stock measures dropped, but the Nikkei 225 managed to eke out a gain of 0.1% at 17,490. Hong Kong was uniformly stronger, including a 1.1% rise in the Hang Seng.

Equities dropped in mainland China but were mostly to the upside in South Korea. Singapore's Straits Times Index was fractionally higher, while Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Stock Index surged 2.7%.