European stocks were mixed on Friday as the war between the US and Iran continued to weigh on investor sentiment.
US President Donald Trump’s hints that an end to the war is in sight and a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will take effect have failed to spark optimism in global stock markets.
Arrive in London by 9:30am (4:30am ET). Stocks 600 There was no broad consensus among sectors or major regional stock exchanges, leaving the market flat.
The Stoxx 600 index is currently up about 0.3% for the week, a marked decline from the past two weeks, when the index rose 3.7% and 3%.
US President Donald Trump said overnight at an event in Las Vegas that the war “should be over soon” and that operations in Iran are “progressing well.”
On April 1, the president said he expected the war to continue for another two to three weeks.
Global market sentiment was lackluster as the week drew to a close, with Asia-Pacific stock markets generally lower on Friday. Stock futures were mixed on Wall Street.
Oil prices fell along with global indexes on Friday morning. brent crude oil futures It remains below $100.
German airlines in corporate news Lufthansa German Airlines The country announced Thursday it would ground dozens of planes and reduce its operational capacity with immediate effect as fuel prices soared. The company’s shares were down 0.3% on Friday morning.
Low cost airlines on Thursdays too easyjetThe company’s stock price fell as soaring jet fuel prices weighed on booking prospects.
Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson on Friday reported a failure to announce its financial results. Adjusted operating profit for the first quarter was 5.2 billion Swedish kronor ($570 million), slightly below analysts’ expectations of 5.4 billion kronor, Reuters reported.
shares of Ericsson It was last trading 1.4% lower.
Meanwhile, shares in French train maker Alstom plunged 30% in morning trading after the company withdrew its financial guidance and told investors it would not meet its profit targets the night before.
“Investor concerns were already present following a pre-close message earlier this month that new CEO Martin Xiong may withdraw guidance, but the preliminary outlook has worsened,” Citi said in a note to investors.
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this article.
