BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were subdued near three-week lows on Thursday as investors watched the latest developments in the Middle East and awaited policy updates from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.
Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft all beat earnings expectations, but there was some concern over Meta's AI spending spree.
In economic news, German retail sales figures for March and French GDP data for the first quarter disappointed investors.
Eurozone inflation accelerated to 3.0 percent year-on-year in April, up from 2.6 percent in the prior month and matching estimates.
Brent crude futures for June delivery hovered near $122 a barrel following reports that the U.S Central Command has prepared plans for a 'short and powerful' wave of strikes on Iran.
The pan-European STOXX 600 dropped 0.2 percent to 601.64 after falling 0.6 percent in the previous session.
The German DAX dipped 0.3 percent and France's CAC 40 tumbled 1.3 percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.7 percent, driven by gains in energy stocks such as BP Plc and Shell.
German sportswear provider Puma rallied 2.8 percent after replacing its chief financial officer.
Online takeaway food company Delivery Hero jumped 6 percent after posting higher first-quarter growth in its gross merchandize value.
Glencore shares rose nearly 2 percent. The commodity trader maintained its 2026 production outlook after reporting first-quarter production broadly in line with expectations.
Consumer goods major Unilever added 1.3 percent after launching a €1.5 billion share buyback.
Lender Standard Chartered advanced 1.6 percent after posting record first-quarter earnings.
Homebuilder Persimmon climbed 2.1 percent after keeping its 2026 delivery and profit targets steady.
Rolls-Royce Holdings surged 6 percent. The engineering company said it was confident on meeting annual forecasts despite the disruption caused by the Middle East conflict.
Netherlands-headquartered consulting and engineering firm Arcadis soared 11.5 percent after Q1 results beat forecasts.
Airline conglomerate Air France-KLM gained 1 percent in Paris after narrowing its Q1 loss.
Lender Credit Agricole plunged 6.4 percent after Q1 earnings came in below estimates.
Peers BNP Paribas tumbled 5.2 percent and Societe Generale declined 6.5 percent after announcing their quarterly results.
Technip Energies slumped 8.6 percent. The engineering group slashed its full-year outlook, citing disruption from the Middle East war.
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