BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks closed weak on Wednesday with investors digesting corporate earnings updates and regional economic data in addition to assessing the prospects of a fresh round of U.S.-Iran peace talks.
The U.S. President said in a post on the Truth Social that the U.S. would hold off on attacking Iran until their leasers 'come up with a unified proposal.'
Dismissing Trump's ceasefire extension as 'meaningless,' Iran said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. blockade is lifted.
The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down by 0.35%. France's CAC 40 settled 0.96% down, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX lost 0.21% and 0.31%, respectively. Switzerland's SMI shed 0.51%.
Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye closed weak.
Netherlands, Norway and Portugal ended higher, while Denmark closed flat.
In the UK market, miners moved up sharply. Glencore and Rio Tinto gained 2.5% and 2.3%, respectively. Antofagasta climbed a little over 2%, while Anglo American Plc and Fresnillo both gained nearly 2%.
Metlen Energy & Metals gained about 2.2%. Airtel Africa, St. James's Place, National Grid, BP, SSE, Centrica, Intertek Group, Compass Group and Associated British Foods also moved notably higher.
Bunzl gained 2.1%. The business supplies distributor kept its 2026 outlook after reporting Q1 trading in line with expectations.
Tesco moved up 1.5% after announcing a new phase of its ongoing share buyback program.
Melrose Industries shed more than 6%. Reckitt Benckiser fell 4.6% after group net revenue declined year-on-year for the first quarter of 2026.
JD Sports Fashion, Rolls-Royce Holdings, IAG, Diageo, 3i Group, Entain and Games Workshop lost 2%-4%. Burberry Group, Kingfisher, Haleon, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Land Securities, DCC, BT Group and Informa also ended notably lower.
In the German market, Deutsche Telekom ended 4.8% down. The company said that it is considering a full combination with its U.S. arm T-Mobile US Inc.
MTU Aero Engines closed lower by about 3.7%. Siemens Healthineers, Commerzbank, Adidas, Zalando, Porsche Automobil Holding, Fresenius, BMW, Continental, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Allianz and Merck also ended notably lower.
Siemens Energy climbed nearly 7%. Infineon gained about 3.5%. RWE moved up 3.2%, while Daimler Truck Holding and Henkel gained 1.2% and 1%, respectively.
In the French market, Bureau Veritas plunged more than 10%. The company's organic revenue grew 4.5% in Q1 2026, led by Marine & Offshore and Buildings & Infrastructure, but total revenue declined 0.8% year-on-year due to currency headwinds. Updated 2026 guidance now targets mid-single-digit organic growth, reflecting contract terminations in Government Services.
Eurofins Scientific ended 9.7% down. The company reported first-quarter revenue of 1.789 billion euros, up 1.3% compared to the first three months of 2025. Organic growth stood at 2.6%, including a 0.1% working day adjustment.
Safran, EssilorLuxottica, Capgemini, Airbus, LVMH, AXA, Accor, Thales, Vinci, Kering, Pernod Ricard, Societe Generale, Saint Gobain, Hermes International, BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole lost 1%-3.5%.
Danone moved up 2.5%. The food and drink giant reported first quarter sales of 6.7 billion euros, up 2.7% like-for-like, led by an increase of 1.5% in volume/mix and 1.2% in price. On a reported basis, sales decreased by 2.0%, for the quarter. The company said its 2026 guidance is confirmed, in line with mid-term ambition. LFL sales growth is expected between 3% and 5%.
Engie, TotalEnergies and Legrand gained 1.3%-2%. Schneider Electric, Carrefour and Unibail Rodamco posted moderate gains.
In economic news, British consumer price inflation increased in March to the highest level in three months, driven mainly by higher transport costs, data published by the Office for National Statistics showed.
The consumer price index climbed 3.3% year-on-year in March, faster than February's 3% stable increase. That was in line with expectations.
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