European stocks mixed as Iran war uncertainty lingers

Shares listed in Europe struggled for direction on Tuesday, as uncertainty around a resolution to the Iran war weighed on sentiment.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.1% shortly after 10:40 a.m. London time (6:40 a.m. E.T), with sectors and major regional bourses showing mixed performance. Oil and gas stocks, utilities, and chemicals led gains, while miners, industrials and banks lagged the broader index.

In corporate news, Bellway shares dropped 10% in morning trade after the UK homebuilder warned of “volatility” in the mortgage market caused by inflationary cost pressure.

“Investors will be less pleased to see an erosion of profit margins, with the company’s operating margin reducing by 50 basis points,” said Oli Creasey, head of property research at Quilter Cheviot.

Beauty conglomerate Estée Lauder said on Monday night that it was in talks with Spain’s Puig — owner of Jean Paul Gaultier, Charlotte Tilbury and Rabanne — about a potential merger. Shares of Puig were last seen trading 14.5% higher.

Regional shares ended Monday’s session in broadly positive territory after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington had held productive talks over a “complete and total resolution” to the Iran conflict. The president told CNBC’s Joe Kernen in a subsequent phone call that he was “very intent on making a deal with Iran.”

However, Tehran later denied any talks with the U.S. had taken place.

On Tuesday morning, oil prices — which fell sharply after Trump’s comments on Monday — rebounded, with global benchmark Brent crude futures rising around 1.4% to hover above $100.

Asian stocks tracked a rally on Wall Street overnight, but pared gains throughout the trading session. In the U.S., futures data point to a positive open on Tuesday as the Iran war remained in focus.

Outside of equities, gold extended losses on Tuesday to sink further into bear market territory. Spot gold was last seen trading 0.4% lower at $4,386.69 an ounce.

Economic data out of Europe on Tuesday includes a manufacturing PMI print from Germany, an S&P Global flash manufacturing PMI for the U.K., and new car registrations in the EU.