European markets steady after Asia sell-off

In early trading, the FTSE 100 is 80 points, or 01.5%, higher at 5,181, while Germany's Dax and France's Cac 40 are both 1.3% higher.   It follows heavy falls on Monday as fresh concerns about Europe's debt crisis and evidence of a continent-wide drift towards recession prompted investors to dump equities. In London, banks were particularly hard-hit.   Asian markets followed suit overnight, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index falling 2% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng losing 1.4%. US markets were closed for Labor Day.   Adding to poor investor sentiment on Monday was the publication o...