Summary The euro slid to $1.3903 from $1.3931 late on Monday in New York.
LONDON, (AFP) - Europe s main stock markets rose Tuesday as investors breathed a sigh of relief despite Russia incorporating Crimea amid an outcry from the West.
In afternoon trading, London s FTSE 100 rose 0.32 percent from Monday s close to 6,589.42 points, Frankfurt s DAX 30 added 0.59 percent to 9,234.76 points and the Paris CAC 40 climbed 0.96 percent to 4,313.13 compared.
The euro slid to $1.3903 from $1.3931 late on Monday in New York.
Today s remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin "further soothed investor concerns, causing equities to rise and safe haven gold to extend its losses," said Forex.com analyst Fawad Razaqzada.
Earlier Tuesday, Putin addressed the Russian parliament and then signed a treaty with Crimean leaders on the strategic Black Sea peninsula becoming part of Russia.
"The tone of the Russian president s speech was a bit less vindicative than expected and in particular less isolationalist, and the desire he indicated to maintain ties to the West without a doubt gave a boost to indices," said Alexandre Baradez, an analyst at IG France.
Trader David White said "equities are making a tentative move higher on news that Mr Putin, for now, does not intend to carve up any more of Ukraine, putting both ease and money back into risk assets."
He said markets were concerned about possible further escalation in tensions after the United States and European Union on Monday slapped sanctions on Putin s inner circle after Crimea voted in a controversial referendum at the weekend to join Russia.
And President Barack Obama on Monday had warned of further measures if Moscow continued to intervene.
"Now, with Russia pausing at Crimea, markets can at least turn back to more familiar matters, such as earnings surprise and changes in future cash flows," said White.
US stocks also opened higher.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.10 percent to 16,263.62 points.
The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.08 percent to 1,860.39, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index increased 0.17 percent to 4,287.41.
- Uncertainty hits German sentiment -
However uncertainty about the economic fallout from the Ukraine crisis pushed German investor sentiment to a seven-month low in March, a survey found earlier Tuesday.
The widely watched investor confidence index calculated by the ZEW economic institute fell by 9.1 points to 46.6 points in March, its lowest level since August 2013, it said in a statement.
It was the third straight monthly drop and much steeper than analysts had been expecting.
"Data out today has not been terrific with German sentiment weaker than expected," said analyst Joshua Raymond at traders City Index.
Gold meanwhile hit one-week lows as dealers took profits from recent gains. Prices slid to $1,362.50 per ounce on Tuesday, from $1,378.50 late on Monday.
That weighed on London-listed gold miners Fresnillo and Randgold, whose share prices slid by five percent and 2.4 percent to stand at 878 pence and 4,850 pence respectively.
Asian equities rose following a Wall Street rally overnight as traders set aside Ukraine worries and turned their attention to economic matters, dealers said.
Better-than-expected US data on Monday had provided support as investors await the outcome of the Federal Reserve s latest policy meeting on Wednesday.
Hong Kong climbed 0.51 percent, Tokyo stocks rose 0.94 percent, Seoul added 0.66 percent and Sydney advanced 0.51 percent.
"The Ukraine situation remains delicate, but at least has not spilled over into violence, despite the opposition by Western powers," said Daiwa Securities senior strategist Tsuyoshi Nomaguchi.
