European Stocks Little Changed on Wednesday

2026-08-19 07:40 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

European shares were broadly flat on Wednesday as investors remained cautious amid uncertainty in the Middle East and awaited the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s July meeting for further guidance on interest rates.

Gains in basic resources stocks, supported by firmer gold prices, provided some stability, with the sector rising around 0.6%.

In contrast, technology stocks were the weakest performers, falling about 0.4% as higher bond yields weighed on growth-sensitive shares.

Semiconductor stocks also came under pressure after reports that Anthropic’s annual revenue run rate reached $65 billion, falling short of some elevated market expectations.

Soitec dropped 4.4%, while Nordic Semiconductor and Scout24 lost more than 2% each.

Geopolitical tensions remained in focus after President Donald Trump said there were no ongoing talks with Iran and claimed the Strait of Hormuz was open.

Meanwhile, UK inflation accelerated to 2.9% in July from 2.6% in June, exceeding expectations.



News Stream
European Stocks Little Changed on Wednesday
European shares were broadly flat on Wednesday as investors remained cautious amid uncertainty in the Middle East and awaited the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s July meeting for further guidance on interest rates. Gains in basic resources stocks, supported by firmer gold prices, provided some stability, with the sector rising around 0.6%. In contrast, technology stocks were the weakest performers, falling about 0.4% as higher bond yields weighed on growth-sensitive shares. Semiconductor stocks also came under pressure after reports that Anthropic’s annual revenue run rate reached $65 billion, falling short of some elevated market expectations. Soitec dropped 4.4%, while Nordic Semiconductor and Scout24 lost more than 2% each. Geopolitical tensions remained in focus after President Donald Trump said there were no ongoing talks with Iran and claimed the Strait of Hormuz was open. Meanwhile, UK inflation accelerated to 2.9% in July from 2.6% in June, exceeding expectations.
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European Stocks Set for Lower Open
European equity markets were poised to open lower on Wednesday, tracking declines across global markets as investors remained concerned about elevated bond yields and rising oil prices. Renewed selling in chipmakers linked to the AI trade also weighed on sentiment, adding to pressure on regional stocks. In Europe, investors will focus on the latest UK and Eurozone inflation data, along with remarks from ECB President Christine Lagarde. On Tuesday, ECB chief economist Philip Lane said the region’s 3% inflation rate remains “too high” when considering potential adjustments to policy rates. Meanwhile, no major earnings reports are scheduled in Europe on Wednesday. In premarket trading, Euro Stoxx 50 and Stoxx 600 futures were both down around 0.2%.
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