BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks closed broadly lower on Wednesday, extending recent losses, as higher oil prices, rising bond yields, worries about geopolitical tensions and prospects of interest rate hikes by major central banks continued to weigh on sentiment.
Oil prices moved up after the U.S. military hit targets in Iran and Tehran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at various sites across the region, heightening fears of supply disruptions and threatening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude prices rose above $97 a barrel before dropping to around $95.70, still up over 1% from previous close.
The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down 0.24%. The UK's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 closed lower by 0.3%, 0.5% and 0.26%, respectively. Switzerland's SMI bucked the trend again, gaining 0.2% thank to late buying at a few frontline counters.
Among other markets in Europe, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye closed weak.
Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands and Poland ended higher, while Austria and Belgium closed flat.
In the UK market, Kingfisher, Computacenter, Metlen Energy & Metals, Experian, LSEG, United Utilities, Barratt Redrow, Reckitt Benckiser and Severn Trent lost 2.3%-4%.
Marks & Spencer, Melrose Industries, Centrica, Relx, IG Group Holdings, BAE Systems and National Grid were among the other notable losers.
Intercontinental Hotels Group moved up 3.2%. Fresnillo, Endeavour Mining, Convatec Group, Standard Chartered, Diageo, Halma, HSBC Holdings, Natwest Group and Rolls-Royce Holdings also closed on positive note.
In the German market, Zalando, Volkswagen, Porsche Automobil Holding, Gea Group, Daimler Truck Holding, Scout24, Continental, Vonovia, Hochtief, Deutsche Boerse, Heidelberg Materials, SAP, Siemens, Mercedes-Benz and Brenntag closed notably lower.
Qiagen, Commerzbank, Rheinmetall, Adidas, Deutsche Bank, Siemens Energy and BASF closed with sharp to moderate gains.
In the French market, Renault, Stellantis, Teleperformance, Vinci, Veolia Environment, Engie, Saint-Gobain, Capgemini, LVMH, Michelin, Bouygues and Societe Generale shed 1%-3%.
STMicroelectronics climbed 3.7%. Eurofins Scientific, Accor, L'Oreal, Carrefour and Kering gained 1%-2%.
In economic news, France's state budget deficit widened to EUR 145.9 billion in January-July 2026 from EUR 142 billion in the same period last year, as expenditure growth continued to outpace revenue growth. General budget revenues increased 4.2% year-on-year to EUR 201.2 billion, while expenditures rose 4.6% to EUR 284.2 billion.
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