12:56 PM EDT, 03/17/2026 (MT Newswires) -- European stock markets closed higher in Tuesday trading with the Stoxx Europe climbing 0.6%, Germany's DAX gaining 0.7%, the FTSE 100 advancing 0.8%, France's CAC rising 0.5%, and the Swiss Market Index increasing 0.6%.

In economic news, Germany's Economic Sentiment Indicator index declined sharply in March to a negative 0.5, down from a positive 58.3 in February, the Center for European Economic Research (ZEW) reported. The "escalation" of Middle East hostilities and resulting higher oil prices were cited.

In geopolitical news, the EU will restart ratification of its trade deal with the US after a months-long delay, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. European Parliament members overseeing the process made the decision on Tuesday despite the US recently opening new investigations into EU trade practices that could result in additional tariffs, the report said.

In regulatory news, the Italian Competition Authority said Tuesday it has launched a probe into the quantum computing sector, citing potential competition concerns. The investigation aims to "provide a timely overview of potential risks and issues, given the significant investments and expectations surrounding the sector both at the national level and across the [EU,]" the regulator said. Alphabet's Google, Amazon, and Meta are among the major tech firms that are investing in quantum computing, according to a Reuters report.

In corporate news, senior Trump administration officials are drafting settlement agreements that would pay TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion in order to block wind farms off New York State and North Carolina, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing documents it reviewed. Under the terms of the proposed settlements, the Interior Department would cancel the leases in federal waters for the two projects, and the Department of Justice would pay over $928 million to TotalEnergies to reimburse it for its winning bids in lease sales during the Biden administration, the report said. TotalEnergies shares climbed 2.9% in Paris.

Deutsche Bank's Q1 revenue from trading is likely to be lower due to forex developments, Chief Executive Christian Sewing said Tuesday, according to a FactSet transcript. Speaking at a conference hosted by Morgan Stanley, Sewing said Q1 overall revenue at the investment bank may be approximately flat year over year. While he sees an increase in the origination and advisory business, Sewing said fixed income trading may potentially be lower, the transcript showed. Deutsche shares increased 0.2% in Frankfurt.

Lloyds Banking is facing questions related to a technical issue that allowed some users to access external account details on a mobile application on March 12, the UK Treasury Committee said in a statement Tuesday. Lloyds shares were up 1.4% in London.