U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
robert schmidt getty images
LONDON — European stock markets ended in positive territory on Wednesday after the United States reiterated its efforts to de-escalate the war with Iran and said Tehran may allow “non-hostile” ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
pan-european Stocks 600 It closed almost 1.3% higher, with all major regional stock exchanges closing in the green.
House builders led the recovery, with shares in British property developer Crest Nicholson ending 10.2% higher on improved open market sales rates in the 10 weeks to March 20.
The results boosted sentiment across the sector and supported rivals. bellway It has recovered from some of its big losses earlier this week.
Bellway shares closed 17.5% lower on Tuesday, but ended Wednesday’s session up around 6% after the housebuilder warned of “volatility” in the mortgage market due to inflationary cost pressures.
Meanwhile, UK inflation remained steady at 3% in February, according to the Office for National Statistics’ latest statistics, the last before the start of the Iran war.
Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, was 3.2% in February, up from 3.1% in January and in line with economists’ expectations.
Global markets are buoyed by US President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting that talks are underway to end hostilities with Iran. However, the Iranian government continues to deny that direct negotiations are taking place.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump said the United States and Iran were “currently negotiating,” adding that he distanced himself from threats to target Iranian energy infrastructure “based on the fact that we are negotiating.”
Asked to further explain his axis, Trump said, “They’re talking to us, and they’re talking to us in a logical way.”
Later on Tuesday, The New York Times reported, citing two unnamed officials, that the United States had sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war. Gold prices rose on Wednesday, but oil prices fell on the news.
An Iranian military spokesman said early Wednesday that the United States was essentially negotiating with his country, according to comments to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported by Reuters.
However, Iran’s mission to the UN said in a post on X that “non-hostile vessels, including vessels belonging to or associated with other countries” could “safely transit” through the Strait of Hormuz through coordination with Tehran.
Asia-Pacific markets ended in positive territory last night. U.S. stocks were rising by 1:06 p.m. ET Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average last up more than 320 points, or 0.7%.
