BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks closed mixed on Monday after a choppy session as a lack of positive progress in U.S.-Iran talks and uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz rendered the mood cautious. Investors also looked ahead to the crucial U.S. inflation data this week for clues about the Federal Reserve's interest rate stance.
Iran has warned that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States meets a series of conditions, raising worries that U.S. President Donald Trump may relaunch the military option that he shelved only days ago.
In an interview with Axios on Sunday, Trump signaled patience and suggested that he's prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to mount rather than escalate militarily.
The pan European Stoxx 600 edged up 0.03%. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 closed up by 0.02% and 0.13%, while the UK's FTSE 100 settled lower by 0.35%. Switzerland's SMI moved up 0.61%.
Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Sweden ended weak.
Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Türkiye closed higher, while Austria, Iceland, Russia and Spain ended flat.
In the UK market, miners Fresnillo and Glencore moved up 3.5% and 2.1%, respectively. Antofagasta gained nearly 1%, while Endeavour Mining closed 0.7% up.
Energy stocks BP and Shell gained about 1.5% and 0.7%, respectively.
Spirax Group, Metlen Energy & Metals, Weir Group, IG Group Holdings, BAE Systems, Croda International, Melrose Industries and AstraZeneca also closed higher.
Shares of trading platform Plus500 gained more than 2% after the company posted record first-half results.
Coca-Cola HBC, Imperial Brands and British American Tobacco shed 4.3%-5%. Vodafone Group ended lower by about 3%.
Barratt Redrow, Whitbread, Admiral Group, 3i Group, Kingfisher, Associated British Foods, BT Group, Airtel Africa, National Grid, Persimmon, Halma, GSK and Legal & General Group also declined sharply.
Building products maker Marshalls dropped nearly 7% after reporting a marginal decline in first-half revenue.
In the German market, Qiagen climbed 5.4%. Adidas, Scout24, MTU Aero Engines, Deutsche Bank, Allianz and Daimler Truck Holding gained 1%-2%.
Deutsche Telekom ended down by 3.1%. Beiersdorf, Porsche Automobil Holding, Brenntag, Henkel, Volkswagen, Bayer and Siemens closed lower by 1%-2.3%.
In the French market, STMicroelectronics rallied nearly 3%. ArcelorMittal, TotalEnergies, Stellantis, Credit Agricole and Safran gained 1.5%-2%. Thales moved up nearly 1%.
Teleperformance eased by about 3%. Capgemini, Orange, Veolia Environment, Edenred, Publicis Groupe, Accor, Kering, Engie, Saint-Gobain and Legrand lost 1%- 2%.
In economic news, U.K. permanent staff appointments stabilized in July, ending a 45-month downturn, the KPMG/REC Report on Jobs revealed. Temp billing posted the biggest growth in the last three years as more employers sought flexible workforce solutions.
Data pointed to a fresh increase in demand for temporary workers, and permanent vacancies dropped at a slower pace in July. As a result, overall demand for workers fell at the softest pace in 22 months.
Pay growth improved in July. Starting salary inflation reached the highest in six months and temp wage growth hit a 26-month high. Nonetheless, the upturn in starting salaries remained slower than the long-run trend amid a steep increase in candidate availability.
Eurozone investor confidence returned to positive territory in August, driven by robust economic data, survey data from the behavioral research institute Sentix showed Monday.
The sentix Economic Sentiment Index rose to 0.9 in August from -3.1 in July. The score was expected to improve to -0.7.
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