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According to Reuters, the FTSEurofirst 300 was 0.7 per cent higher at 12:43 BST - taking it to 1,105.92 points - having reached 1,106.27 points earlier in the day.
Banks were among the strongest gainers, with Standard Chartered, UBS, Banco Santander and Intesa Sanpaolo adding as much as 2.5 per cent after JPMorgan's quarterly profit rose year-on-year.
Commodity stocks were also in demand among traders, as an increase in the price of oil helped Royal Dutch Shell, Total and BP to jump, while the suggestion that gold prices are set to rise helped BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Rio Tinto and other mining giants perform strongly.
In London, the FTSE 100 was up by over 0.5 per cent to 5,791.35 points at 15:34 BST, with banks and mining firms leading the way.
Burberry also saw one of the biggest jumps in the afternoon session, adding 3.16 per cent to take its shares to 719p.
Posted by Chris Weaver
