Overseas Trading: Europe Stocks Mixed as Germany Weighs In on Greece

Most Asian markets followed their Wall Street counterparts higher. China's Shanghai Composite, for example, jumped 3.5% to notch a second straight day of gains, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1% -- and snapped its four-week losing streak -- thanks to a rally in brokerage names. Japan's Nikkei, meanwhile, rose 0.3% as the yen fell to a three-week low against the dollar. South Korea's Kospi sat out the regional advance, though, shedding 0.5% after shareholders voted in favor of a  nearly $8 billion merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.

European benchmarks are mixed at midday, after Germany's parliament voted in favor of negotiating a bailout for Greece -- a plan that has already been approved by Greek officials. Additionally, traders are digesting yesterday's news that the European Central Bank (ECB) granted a financial lifeline to Greece, which should allow the country's banks to reopen on Monday after a nearly three-week hiatus. Against this backdrop, the German DAX is off 0.3% and London's FTSE 100 is down 0.1%, while the French CAC 40 is up 0.1%.