US President Donald Trump speaks during the NCAA Collegiate National Champions Day event at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2026. <\/p>\n
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images<\/p>\n
LONDON \u2014 European stocks are expected to open in negative territory on Wednesday as traders assess the Iran ceasefire extension and the prospect of further peace talks.<\/p>\n
The U.K.’s FTSE<\/a> index, Germany’s DAX<\/a> and France’s CAC 40<\/a>\u00a0are all expected to open 0.3% lower, respectively, while Italy’s FTSE MIB<\/a> is seen just a touch below the flatline, according to data from IG. <\/p>\n U.S. President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday extended the two-week U.S. ceasefire with\u00a0Iran<\/a>, saying the extension was warranted due to Tehran’s government being “seriously fractured.”<\/p>\n Trump said the ceasefire, which he earlier had said would end on Wednesday, would continue “until such time as” Iran’s leaders and representatives submit a “unified proposal” to end the war with the U.S. and Israel.<\/p>\n The President’s announcement came after reports that an expected trip by\u00a0Vice President JD Vance<\/a>\u00a0to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks with Iranian officials had been put on hold. <\/p>\n Iranian state news outlet Tasnim also reported that negotiators from Tehran had informed their U.S. counterparts through an intermediary in Pakistan that they would not appear for further talks.<\/p>\n While the ceasefire extension saw oil prices moderate, market sentiment was kept in check by Trump’s refusal to lift the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. <\/p>\n He said in a Truth Social post: “They only say they want [the Strait of Hormuz] closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to ‘save face.'”<\/p>\n Trump added that lifting the blockade would mean “there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included.”<\/p>\n Earnings are in focus in Europe on Wednesday with L’Oreal<\/a>, ABB<\/a>, EssilorLuxottica<\/a>, Nordea Bank<\/a>, Sandvik<\/a>, Danone<\/a>, Reckitt Benckiser Group<\/a>, Svenska Handelsbanken<\/a> and Carrefour<\/a> all set to report. <\/p>\n Data releases include U.K. inflation figures for March, the first data since the Iran war started and energy prices surged, and European consumer confidence data.<\/p>\n \u2014 CNBC’s Dan Mangan and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this market report. <\/p>\n