By Sara Sjolin
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stock markets erased losses and inched higher in afternoon action on Tuesday, as banks advanced and tracked gains on U.S. stock markets. The Stoxx Europe 600 index XX:SXXP +0.30% was slightly higher at 271.76, after trading in red territory for most of the session before the open on Wall Street. Germany's DAX 30 index DX:DAX +1.28% rose 0.7% to 7,267.15, while France's CAC 40 index FR:PX1 +0.80% added 0.2% to 3,512.41. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index UK:UKX +0.06% slipped 0.2% to 5,783.22.