BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - After two successive days of losses, European markets turned in a fine performance on Friday as geopolitical tensions eased after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will not attack Iran before next month's midterm elections and termed ongoing discussions with Tehran as 'productive.'
Oil prices dropped and bond yields eased, aiding sentiment. Firm metal prices triggered strong buying in materials stocks.
Brent crude front-month futures dropped to a low of 102.33 a barrel before regaining lost ground.
The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.97%. The UK's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 moved up 1.06%, 1.13% and 0.95%, respectively. Switzerland's SMI closed up by 1.1%.
Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye closed on firm note.
Austria, Greece, Ireland and Portugal ended weak, while Iceland ended flat.
In the UK market, Relx, Antofagasta, The Sage Group, ICG, Experian and Weir moved up 4%-5%.
WPP, Spirax Group, IG Group Holdings, Convatec Group, Anglo American Plc, Glencore, Aberdeen Group, Fresnillo, 3i Group, Ithaca Energy and Metlen Energy & Metals climbed 2%-3.7%.
Endeavour Mining, Rolls-Royce Holdings, BAE Systems, Melrose Industries, Haleon, Croda International, Compass Group, Rio Tinto and Smith & Nephew also closed with strong gains.
Airtel Africa dropped more than 6%. Vodafone Group drifted down 4.9%. BT Group ended lower by about 2.3%, while Kingfisher shed 1.4%.
In the German market, Zalando moved up nearly 4.5%. SAP surged 3.7%. Siemens, Bayer, Siemens Healthineers, Adidas, Porsche Automobil Holding, Fresenius Medical Care, Volkswagen, BME and Siemens Energy gained 2%-3%.
Deutsche Telekom tanked nearly 8% as SpaceX's spectrum acquisition raised concerns over increased competition for T-Mobile US, in which it holds a 54% stake.
In the French market, ArcelorMittal rallied 5.7%. Capgemini moved up 3.7% and Bureau Veritas climbed 3.6%.
Teleperformance, Kering, EssilorLuxottica, Edenred, Publicis Groupe, Schneider Electric, L'Oreal, Eurofins Scientific, Renault and Safran also moved notably higher.
STMicroelectronics ended nearly 4% down. Orange closed lower by 2.5%. Carrefour, Danone and Bouygues settled moderately lower.
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