European Stocks Cautious on Friday

2026-06-19 12:28 By Joana Taborda 1 min. read

Stocks in Europe were cautious on Friday, with both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 down 0.1%, putting them on track to close the session in the red, and pausing a six-day winning streak.

Sentiment weakened after renewed geopolitical concerns in the Middle East, following the cancellation of scheduled US–Iran talks in Geneva.

The development raised doubts about the prospects for a peace agreement and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, helping to push oil prices slightly higher.

Among individual movers, ASML Holding fell 1.1% after Bloomberg reported that US officials are investigating whether one of the company’s chipmaking machines may have been transferred to China, potentially breaching US-led export restrictions.

L’Oréal declined 2.9%, while Hermès dropped 1.8%.

On the other hand, energy and healthcare stocks outperformed.

Novo Nordisk surged nearly 5% after several analysts upgraded the stock.

For the week, the STOXX 50 is up 2.1%, while the STOXX 600 has gained 0.6%.



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European Stocks Cautious on Friday
Stocks in Europe were cautious on Friday, with both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 down 0.1%, putting them on track to close the session in the red, and pausing a six-day winning streak. Sentiment weakened after renewed geopolitical concerns in the Middle East, following the cancellation of scheduled US–Iran talks in Geneva. The development raised doubts about the prospects for a peace agreement and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, helping to push oil prices slightly higher. Among individual movers, ASML Holding fell 1.1% after Bloomberg reported that US officials are investigating whether one of the company’s chipmaking machines may have been transferred to China, potentially breaching US-led export restrictions. L’Oréal declined 2.9%, while Hermès dropped 1.8%. On the other hand, energy and healthcare stocks outperformed. Novo Nordisk surged nearly 5% after several analysts upgraded the stock. For the week, the STOXX 50 is up 2.1%, while the STOXX 600 has gained 0.6%.
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