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Reuters reports the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 had risen 0.5 per cent by 08:09 GMT, helping it partially recover from the heavy falls seen yesterday, when the index ended the day 1.6 per cent lower.
This morning's increase put it on 1,074.38 points and the rise was largely driven by mining companies, which advanced on the back of firmer metals prices.
BHP Billiton and Anglo American both added 1.4 per cent and 1.2 per cent respectively, while the Stoxx Europe basic resources index was 1.2 per cent higher.
Despite the increases, investors are still worried about the possibility of the debt problems that have affected Ireland spreading to other countries in the eurozone, with Philippe Gijsels of BNP Paribas Fortis Global Markets explaining to the news agency this morning's rally "is merely technical", and "volatility is likely to persist and even increase".
Shares have also advanced in London, where the FTSE 100 was up 0.43 per cent to 5,574.58 points by 08:39 GMT.
Posted by Greg Secker
