LONDON: European stock markets steadied at the start of trading on Tuesday after sharp falls the previous session on banking sector worries and general concerns surrounding the global economy.

London's FTSE 100 benchmark index rose 0.2 percent to 5,702.6 points compared with the close on Monday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index was virtually unchanged at 8,980.7 points and the Paris CAC 40 edged up 0.2 percent to 4,072.3.

The Paris and Frankfurt exchanges had lost more than 3.0 percent on Monday, London gave up close to 3.0 percent, while Milan slumped almost 5.0 percent and Athens around 8.0 percent.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2016