European Equities Close Slightly Lower in Weak Trading

European equities closed slightly lower in weak trading Tuesday as investors remain cautious in light of the lack of new economic data from the region and uncertainty over the direction of global interest rates.

The pan-European STOXX 600 closed up 0.1% after trading in a two-point range for most of the session as investors weighed in on central bank hints of monetary tightening and data pointing to slower global growth.

The mining sector index fell 0.4% as metals prices tumbled on concerns over the outlook for demand from China following a series of weak economic data, Reuters reported.

However, a 2.7% rise in the real estate index helped keep the index stable, while health sector stocks bounced back from a sharp fall in the previous session.