European markets closed higher Tuesday as investors continue to gauge the health of the global economy as well as corporate earnings.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed up 0.4%, having briefly hit a 14-month high earlier in the session.
Banks gained 1.3% with eyes on U.S. results, while mining stocks rose 1.4% after China's economy grew more than expected at 4.5% year on year, beating estimates to see growth of 4% in a Reuters poll. Telecoms stocks led losses with a 0.7% downturn.
European markets
U.K. job market figures showed unemployment rose slightly, but the number of people classed as economically inactive was down 0.4 percentage points to 21.1%.
Meanwhile, pay growth slowed by less than expected, with wages increasing 6.9% in the private sector and 5.3% in the public sector.
Ashley Webb, a U.K. economist at Capital Economics, said it left the Bank of England with a "tough call on whether to raise interest rates further;" though also noted wage growth was easing overall.
Wednesday's U.K. consumer price inflation figures "may well be crucial," Webb added.
Sweden's Ericsson extended earlier losses to shed 8.6% after reporting a quarterly fall in sales and an annual fall in earnings. CEO Börje Ekholm told CNBC conditions were challenging but he expected a gradual recovery in the second half of the year.
Shares of airline Easyjet were slightly higher after narrowing first-quarter losses due to strong Easter demand and saying full-year profits would likely beat estimates.
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed as they took in the Chinese economic data. The onshore Chinese yuan strengthened slightly after the report.
U.S. stocks were lower as traders digested a slew of earnings reports and the implications for the U.S. economy and the health of corporate America. Johnson & Johnson and Bank of America both beat forecasts before the bell, though Goldman Sachs dampened momentum slightly with an earnings miss.
