- European countries, among those Italy and Spain that have been some of the worst affected by the coronavirus, are now looking to lift some restrictions on public life as the number of new infections and daily deaths has declined.
European markets traded higher Tuesday as investors look for an exit strategy to the region's coronavirus lockdowns.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 added 0.85% in early trade, with health care stocks climbing 2.1% to lead gains while the travel and leisure sector slid 1.3%.
European countries, among those Italy and Spain that have been some of the worst affected by the coronavirus, are now looking to lift some restrictions on public life as the number of new infections and daily deaths has declined.
Spain allowed some construction and manufacturing sites and to reopen Monday and Italy is also allowing some businesses to reopen Tuesday. Meanwhile, Germany is considering how to implement a gradual recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the country's health minister told CNBC on Monday.
"We are thinking about step by step, that is important … going back to a new normal," Jens Spahn said on "Closing Bell."
Stocks in Asia edged higher in Tuesday morning trade following the release of Chinese trade data for March.
China reported that its dollar-denominated exports and imports both fell from a year ago in March, but they were better than what economists had expected. China's exports fell 6.6% in March from a year ago, while imports slipped 0.9% in the same month, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday.
In terms of individual stocks, chipmaker AMS climbed 7.2% in early trade, while Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, Diasorin and Just Eat all gained more than 6%.
At the bottom of the European benchmark, cinema operator Cineworld tumbled 11%.
— CNBC's Kevin Stankiewicz and Huileng Tan contributed reporting to this story.
Source: cnbc.com
