The German stock market (Deutsche Boerse) indices Dax, MDax, SDax, TecDax and Gex are listed on a display board in the trading hall of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. (zu dpa: «European markets close weak as oil prices, Iran war concerns weigh») Arne Dedert/dpa
European stocks closed weak on Tuesday, pressured by concerns over the war in the Middle East and higher oil prices.
Political uncertainty in the UK also weighed on sentiment.
Brent crude futures climbed to $108.45 a barrel, gaining nearly 4.5%.
The pan European Stoxx 600 fell 1.01%. Germany’s DAX tumbled 1.62% and France’s CAC 40 closed down by 0.95%, while the UK’s FTSE 100 edged down 0.04%. Switzerland’s SMI closed 0.14% higher.
Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey closed notably lower.
Denmark edged down marginally, while Norway and Russia ended on a positive note.
In the UK market, Vodafone Group ended down by 7% after the telecommunications operator lost clients in its key German market last quarter.
3i Group closed lower by 4.6%. Llodys Banking Group, St. James’s Place, Marks & Spencer and Barratt Redrow lost 4.1%-4.4%.
Segro, Barclays Group, Melrose Industries, Next, Natwest Group, Persimmon, Diploma, JD Sports Fashion, Rolls-Royce Holdings, IAG, Standard Life, Babcock International, Endeavour Mining, ICG and Anglo American Plc ended lower by 2%-3.5%.
Meanwhile, Intertek Group climbed nearly 6.5%. British American Tobacco and Compass Group moved up 5.82% and 5.76%, respectively. Imperial Brands, LSEG, Smith & Nephew, GSK, Haleon, Unilever, Coca-Cola HBC, Convatec Group, Shell, BP, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Pearson and Reckitt Benckiser also ended with strong gains.
In the German market, Munich RE fell 6% after announcing it has investments of as much as €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) in private credit.
Infineon, Zalando and Siemens Energy lost 5%-6%. Siemens Energy fell despite hiking its FY26 outlook.
Daimler Truck Holding and RWE lost 2.65% and 2.25%, respectively.
MTU Aero Engines, Rheinmetall, Siemens, Volkswagen, Brenntag, SAP, Deutsche Bank, Hannover RE and Vonovia also ended notably lower.
Bayer moved up 3.7% after reporting stronger first-quarter earnings, underpinned by a robust performance in its crop science unit.
Scout24 climbed 3.1% and Qiagen gained 2.3%. Symrise moved up 1.7%, while Fresenius Medical Care, Beiersdorf and Siemens Healthineers closed up by 1%-1.1%.
Steelmaker Salzgitter moved up sharply after lifting its fiscal 2026 earnings forecast after reporting turnaround results for the first quarter.
Technology group Jenoptik rallied 10.5% after reporting a 74% jump in its Q1 order intake.
In the French market, STMicroelectronics, Societe Generale, Schneider Electric, ArcelorMittal, BNP Paribas, Capgemini, Legrand, Saint-Gobain and Stellantis lost 2.4%-4.2%. Hermes International, Teleperformance, Airbus, Renault, Carrefour and Publicis Group also ended notably lower.
TotalEnergies, Danone, L’Oreal and Eurofins Scientific gained 1%-1.8%.