European stocks closed higher after a report said that the U.S. and China are trying to restart trade talks, while traders continued to monitor corporate earnings.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed provisionally 0.18 percent higher, with most major bourses and sectors in the black. Media shares rose 0.21 percent on earnings. Vivendi rose 3.74 percent after reporting first-half results. The company said it could sell up to half of its Universal Music Group assets. Looking at individual stocks, shares of Leonardo led the gains, up by 10.6 percent on strong second-quarter results. The Swedish firm Hexagon also jumped 5.39 percent after reporting second-quarter numbers above forecasts. At the other end of the benchmark, the U.K. housebuilder Travis Perkins dropped 10.78 percent after cutting its profit outlook. On Wall Street, stocks opened higher as tech shares struggled for gains following a steep sell-off the past three sessions. Market players also eyed a Bloomberg report that the U.S. and China are attempting to reignite negotiations to avoid a trade war between the two superpowers. The report cited two unnamed sources that could not immediately be verified by CNBC.

Earnings central

Tuesday is a big day for earnings in Europe. Credit Suisse reported Tuesday a net income of 647 million Swiss francs ($655.33 million) for the second quarter of the year. The figure beat analysts' expectations, which had pointed to a net income around 550 million Swiss francs. Shares rose 1.14 percent. BP's profit surged in the second quarter of 2018 and the oil giant hiked its dividend for the first time in four years. Shares were up 1.379 percent on the news.

Euro zone growth slows