European Stocks Tread Water

2026-04-17 07:31 By Joana Taborda 1 min. read

European equities were largely directionless on Friday, with both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovering around the flatline.

However, both indices remained on course to post modest weekly gains, as investors assess ongoing developments in the Middle East and potential progress in US–Iran negotiations.

US President Trump said it is “looking very good” that a deal with Iran could be reached, adding that talks may resume over the weekend.

He also claimed, without providing evidence, that Iran had agreed to terms it has resisted.

SAP (1.3%), Hermes (0.9%), EssilorLuxottica (1.2%) and Sanofi (0.8%) were higher while ASML Holding (-0.8%) and Siemens Energy (-1.4%) traded lower.

Meanwhile, Ericsson shares fell roughly 2.5% following an earnings miss.

For the week, the STOXX 50 is up 0.2%, while the STOXX 600 has gained 0.4%.



News Stream
European Stocks Tread Water
European equities were largely directionless on Friday, with both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovering around the flatline. However, both indices remained on course to post modest weekly gains, as investors assess ongoing developments in the Middle East and potential progress in US–Iran negotiations. US President Trump said it is “looking very good” that a deal with Iran could be reached, adding that talks may resume over the weekend. He also claimed, without providing evidence, that Iran had agreed to terms it has resisted. SAP (1.3%), Hermes (0.9%), EssilorLuxottica (1.2%) and Sanofi (0.8%) were higher while ASML Holding (-0.8%) and Siemens Energy (-1.4%) traded lower. Meanwhile, Ericsson shares fell roughly 2.5% following an earnings miss. For the week, the STOXX 50 is up 0.2%, while the STOXX 600 has gained 0.4%.
2026-04-17
European Stocks Set for Lower Open
European equity markets were set to open marginally lower on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the weekend while awaiting clearer signals on US-Iran peace negotiations. US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the conflict with Iran will end soon, saying Tehran had agreed to terms including abandoning nuclear ambitions and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, a development that could support further US-Iran talks. In Europe, investors will focus on upcoming trade balance data for the Eurozone and Italy, with no major corporate earnings releases scheduled. In premarket trading, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx Europe 600 futures were both down about 0.1%.
2026-04-17
European Stocks Little Changed on Thursday
The Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 ended Thursday’s session largely unchanged as investors stayed cautious, closely monitoring developments in peace negotiations between the US and Iran. Sentiment was also influenced late in the European session after President Donald Trump confirmed discussions with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10 day ceasefire set to begin at 5 p.m. ET. On the equity side, Novo Nordisk and SAP rose more than 3%, while Hermès and Siemens added around 1.3% and Shell gained about 1%. In contrast, L’Oréal fell over 2%, and several heavyweight names including ASML, HSBC, Roche, and Novartis edged slightly lower, keeping overall indices broadly flat.
2026-04-16