On August 12, 2024, a Ukrainian soldier operates a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region near the border with Russia during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Roman Pilipi | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON — European stocks fell on Thursday as investors continued to assess developments in the Middle East and Ukraine.
pan-european Stocks 600 Most sectors ended in negative territory, with major exchanges in London, Paris and Frankfurt all closing lower. italian FTSE MIB Bucking the trend, it ended Thursday up 0.5%.
European markets followed Asia-Pacific markets in decline as investors weighed mixed signals from negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations with Iran have made some progress and “we’re going to give it every chance to succeed,” adding that the U.S. wants a “negotiated diplomatic route.”
But President Donald Trump has said he will not allow Iran to seize control of the crucial Strait of Hormuz as part of the deal.
Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media, that Tehran had promised to restore commercial traffic through Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month of the deal with the United States, but the White House said in a social media post that reports about the memorandum were “a complete fabrication.”
Meanwhile, the US military launched a new attack in Iran, according to MS Now on Wednesday. These actions are “prudent and purely defensive and aimed at maintaining a ceasefire,” US officials told MS NOW in a statement. This trend caused oil prices to rise overnight.
European defense stocks rose on Thursday after Ukraine’s parliament ratified a 90 billion euro ($104.6 billion) loan deal with the European Union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is currently visiting Sweden. Reuters reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources, that Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson would jointly announce an agreement to provide Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
The pair signed a letter of intent in October last year under which Sweden would sell up to 150 Saab Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
serve The Swedish fighter jet maker outperformed the Stoxx 600 to close 7.4% higher.
German tank parts maker Lenk rose 5.4%, while France’s Lenk rose 5.4%. Exail Technologies and german line metal They recorded 13.2% and 4.2%, respectively.
In other regions, Spanish stocks eDreams Shares soared 11.3% after the online travel agency posted a profit of 52.2 million euros ($60.6 million) in its fiscal fourth quarter. This was up from 45.1 million euros in the same period last year, but fell short of analysts’ expectations. The group reiterated its full-year outlook, noting that membership in its subscription programs increased 9% year-on-year to 7.9 million customers.
Polish energy giant Oren reported a 22.8% increase in first-quarter adjusted core earnings and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) that exceeded analyst expectations. The stock price rose more than 1%.
In the United States, S&P500 Last seen a 0.5% increase. Dow Jones Industrial Average It has changed a little, Nasdaq It was 0.7% higher. The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditure price index, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in the month, bringing the 12-month inflation rate to 3.8%. Core inflation was in line with expectations in April, reaching an annual rate of 3.3%.
—CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han and Justina Lee contributed to this market report.
