AFP - Europe's main stock markets rose on Tuesday, despite heavy falls across Asia, with London winning support from better-than-expected third-quarter results from British energy giant BP.

Stock market traders meanwhile awaited US consumer confidence data for the latest reading on the health of the battered American economy.

In late morning trade, London's FTSE 100 index of top shares added 0.58 percent to 5,221.70 points.

Elsewhere, Frankfurt's DAX 30 rose 0.50 percent to 5,670.40 points and the Paris CAC 40 climbed 0.66 percent to 3,769.13 points near the half-way mark.

The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of top eurozone shares advanced 0.59 percent to 2,851.78 points.

In foreign exchange trade, the dollar hit a five-week high against the yen amid speculation that the US Federal Reserve may signal a clearer timeframe for lifting its rock-bottom interest rates, dealers said.

In London, BP announced that third-quarter net profit sank 34 percent to 5.34 billion dollars (3.59 billion euros), hit by lower oil prices and despite higher production.

The company said net profit, excluding the effect of stocks, slumped 50 percent from a year earlier to 4.98 billion dollars.

Excluding non-operating items and accounting costs, profits sank to 4.67 billion dollars. However, that easily beat analysts' consensus forecasts of 3.2 billion dollars.

BP shares jumped 4.21 percent to 591 pence in morning trade after the group also revealed it would cut costs by 4.0 billion dollars this year.

"BP is dominating the FTSE this morning as it publishes stronger-than-expected figures largely due to cost cutting programmes, sending the stock surging," said Spreadex analyst Arifa Sheikh-Usmani.

"Later on, investors will be tentatively eyeing US consumer confidence figures after last months figures unexpectedly missed expectations as consumers continue to worry about the pace of recovery and unemployment levels."

On the downside, in Asia on Tuesday, Tokyo stocks dived 1.45 percent and Hong Kong shares dropped 1.86 percent after overnight falls on Wall Street and investor caution ahead of earnings results by major companies.

In Shanghai, Chinese shares closed down 2.83 percent on Tuesday, with metal stocks falling on lower commodities prices and banks tumbling on profit-taking.

And in Mumbai, Indian shares tumbled 2.31 percent, with rate-sensitive bank and property stocks hit by fears of higher interest rates later this year, analysts said.

In Wall Street on Monday, US stocks fell for the second session running as a strengthening dollar impacted multinational companies and investors fretted about the embattled financial sector.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average skidded 1.05 percent to finish at 9,867.96, below the psychologically important 10,000 barrier for the second consecutive session.