Europe open: Upbeat China boosts stocks, but JD Sports tumbles

An upbeat assessment of the Chinese economy by the country’s premier helped get European shares off to a positive start on Tuesday.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.5% in early trade after falls in the past week. All major bourses were in the green.

China's Premier Li Qiang said the country's economic growth in the second quarter would be higher than the first and was expected to reach the annual economic growth target of around 5%.

The news helped boost mining stocks, heavily dependent on Chinese demand for raw materials. Shares in Antofagasta, Anglo American, Glencore, and Rio Tinto were all up.

Elsewhere, investors will be looking at comments from European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde at a conference later in the day for any clues on the direction of monetary policy.

In other equity news, shares in JD Sports Fashion fell after the company warned of softer trade in its North American operations.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com