Traders work at their desks in front of the German share price index, DAX board, at the stock exchange in Frankfurt.
London: Europe's main stock markets rose yesterday in tentative trading as growing concerns over Greece and looming elections in France and Germany gnawed at sentiment.
"European markets have traded sideways... as investors look for direction in an uncertain environment," noted CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson.
"Matters are being muddied by concerns of a re-escalation in the Greek debt crisis, in amongst the upcoming European election concerns around potential political upheavals in Germany and France."
Most Asian indices also tacked higher but markets remain cautious about the global outlook, despite another record close on Wall Street overnight. Japanese shares, however, fell 0.5 percent, a day before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets US President Donald Trump.
One of the top gainers in Paris was French bank Societe Generale, whose shares won almost three percent after posting better-than-expected net profits for 2016.
Profits after tax nevertheless still slid 3.2 percent to €3.87bn ($4.13bn), hit by accounting expenses and losses arising from the sale of its Croatian subsidiary, SocGen said in a statement.
World markets had wavered on Wednesday as increasing uncertainty about France's political outlook and fears of another debt crisis brewing in Greece sent yields on European government debt higher.
Greek crisis worries were ignited this week after the International Monetary Fund warned the country would likely not reach targets prescribed for it to qualify for bailout cash.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble reaffirmed his staunch opposition to slashing Greece's debt, even as the International Monetary Fund has pressed Athens' creditors for such a move.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty that has tainted trading floors for weeks continues to weigh as US President Donald Trump appears to press on with a protectionist agenda but no details on his pledge to bolster the US economy.
The dollar has been a major casualty as dealers withdraw initial bets that his big-spending plans would stoke US inflation, and in turn, interest rates. The greenback has fallen around five percent from this year's highs against the yen.
Yesterday, the US unit was sitting around 112 yen, having fallen below that level for the first time since November.
However, the dollar remains buoyed against the euro as the rise of populists ahead of elections this year in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy fuel worries about the future of the European Union. Added to that are renewed Greek jitters.
In New York, the Nasdaq opened higher yesterday after closing on Wednesday at a record high for the second successive day, even though shares in Twitter took a 10 percent dive to $16.85.
The social network reported sluggish revenue and user growth, with its net loss in the fourth quarter of 2016 expanding to $167m, after a $90m deficit in the same period in 2015.
Some analysts had expected a bump in Twitter use following the election of US President Donald Trump, who is an avid user of the platform and frequently offers his views on policy. Twitter, which has never reported a profit, has been revamping its offerings as it seeks to expand beyond its core base of politicians, celebrities and journalists.
