After rising almost 5% in August, the second straight month of gains for the pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index (ST:SXXP 236.98, +0.98, +0.42%) , the index rose another 0.6% to reach 237.33 on Tuesday.
Corporate updates were helping that advance, as Vivendi and Havas shares climbed in the media sector after reporting results.
Vivendi (FR:VIV 20.35, +0.47, +2.37%) shares rose 2.9% after the media giant reported that its second-quarter adjusted net income rose a stronger-than-forecast 8.1% to 818 million euros ($1.17 billion) and stuck to its 2009 earnings-growth target before interest, tax and amortization.
Havas (FR:HAV 2.39, +0.26, +12.27%) shares rallied 13.3% in Paris after the group's organic revenue fell a less-than-forecast 9.8% in the second quarter and as first-half operating margins fell to 10.2% from 10.9%, which again wasn't as bad as forecast.
The advertising group's first-half profit fell 18% to 40 million euros, and the firm didn't offer an outlook for the year.
On a regional level, the French CAC-40 index (FR:PX1 3,674, +20.94, +0.57%) advanced 0.5% to 3,672.32, the German DAX index (DX:DAX 5,489, +23.91, +0.44%) rose 0.3% to 5,482.65 while the U.K. FTSE 100 index (UK:UKX 4,910, +1.07, +0.02%) declined 0.1% to 4,903.85 as investors returned from a long holiday weekend.
Asia shares were higher, while U.S. stock futures were also positive, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures up 27 points.
Health-care stocks were also firm, with AstraZeneca (UK:AZN 2,922, +85.00, +2.99%) (AZN 46.63, +0.33, +0.71%) bucking the lower London trend to trade up 2.8%.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Sunday held good news for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, finding that its Brilinta drug lowers death rates compared to that of a competing product from its top rivals. See full story.
Commerzbank (DE:CBK 6.91, +0.46, +7.13%) outperformed a broadly lower banking sector, rising 7.1% after CEO Martin Blessing told the Financial Times Deutschland that the bank could turn a profit next year.
Shares of French construction and concession firm Eiffage (FR:FGR 46.90, -2.67, -5.38%) fell 5.4%. The group cut its 2009 revenue guidance and reported a 64% fall in first-half net profit to 50 million euros, weighed by a decline in activity in construction and public works.
