The UK stock market closed roughly flat on Friday when the rest of the markets, except Denmark, remained shut for May Day holiday. Investors largely reacted to corporate earnings updates. Geopolitical news were in focus as well.
The UK stock market's benchmark index FTSE 100 fell on Friday, weighed down by losses in financial and mining sectors. Worries about the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East weighed as well on sentiment.
After opening weak and languishing in negative territory till a little before noon, the Switzerland stock market slowly gained in strength on Thursday to eventually end the session on a firm note.
European stocks closed higher on Thursday with investors reacting to a slew of earnings announcements and economic data from the region and digested the monetary policy decisions of the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. Concerns about U.S.-Iran tensions continued to weigh, limiting markets' upside.
UK's equity benchmark FTSE 100 moved higher on Thursday, outperforming other major markets in Europe, thanks to strong gains in the mining sectors. Investors also reacted to a slew of corporate earnings updates and looked ahead to the Bank of England's monetary policy announcement.
French stocks slipped on Thursday, extending losses to a fifth straight session, amid lingering concerns about the Middle East conflict. In addition to digesting the regional economic data and corporate earnings updates, investors also looked ahead to the European Central Bank's monetary policy announcement later in the day.
After a weak start, German stocks recovered and moved into positive territory on Thursday as investors reacted to a slew of earnings updates and regional economic data and looked ahead to the monetary policy announcement from the European Central Bank.
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...
European stocks may tumble at open on Thursday as investors await the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England's (BOE) policy decisions and policymakers' assessment of the ongoing Middle East conflict. Both the ECB and BOE are expected to hold borrowing costs amid signs of mounting macro...
After spending a few minutes in positive territory at the start, Switzerland's benchmark index SMI slipped into the red and remained weak right through the trading session on Wednesday, as investors weighed the situation in the Middle East, and awaited policy announcements from major central banks, including the Federal Reserve.
European stocks closed lower on Wednesday with investors reacting to a slew of earnings updates and assessing the situation in the Middle East, while awaiting the interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve later in the day, and the monetary policy announcements from the Bank of England and the European Central Bank on Thursday.
The London Stock Exchange's benchmark index FTSE 100 fell to a four-week low on Wednesday, weighed down by notable losses in top pharma stocks. The mood in the market remained cautious amid persisting concerns about a lack of progress in Iran peace talks.
France's equity benchmark CAC 40 drifted lower on Wednesday with investors reacting to earnings updates and developments on the Middle East conflict front, while awaiting monetary policy announcements from the Federal Reserve (due later in the day), and the European Central Bank and the Bank of England tomorrow.
The German market's benchmark index DAX slipped into negative territory on Wednesday as investors reacted to a slew of earnings and other corporate news and continued to follow news from the geopolitical front. Higher oil prices amid a lack of progress in U.S.-Iran peace efforts raised inflation concerns and weighed significantly on investor sentiment.
European stocks are seen opening on a mixed note Wednesday as investors await big tech earnings and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments for insights into the economic impact of the Middle East conflict. The U.S.-Iran conflict showed little sign of resolution, with negotiations making limited progress...
May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.