European stocks rise on earnings optimism as traders weigh Iran proposals

Euro zone government bond yields were steady, with the benchmark 10-year German yield up by less than one basis point, at 3.1118%. Nearly €13 billion ($15.00 billion) of French government bonds are set to hit the market later in the session.

Currency markets were also calm. The euro was down by less than 0.1% at $1.1540, while the U.S. dollar index was up 0.1% on the day at 99.767.

The Japanese yen was at 157.85 yen per dollar, having declined slightly over the last two sessions and given back some of the gains it reached after the U.S. and Japanese governments intervened in the market on Friday.

Investors await U.S. payroll data, due later in the session, to give an indication of the Federal Reserve's plan for interest rates.

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly — who is not a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee — said on Wednesday she was “completely supportive” of the decision last week to hold interest rates steady as the central bank gathers more data about how it should respond to inflation that is well above its 2% target.