Brussels, March 31 (QNA) - European stocks inched up on Tuesday as investors drew some comfort from hopes of de-escalation in the Middle East war, but ‌the benchmark ⁠index was ⁠still set for its sharpest monthly decline since 2020 amid supply-chain ​disruptions.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.2% at 581.92 points. The benchmark index, down 8.2% in March, is on track to break an eight-month streak of gains and log its first quarterly ⁠decline in ‌five.

Financial services stocks gained 0.8% and led sectors higher.

Unilever added 0.7%. (QNA)