After posting gains in the previous two sessions, French stocks fell on Tuesday as concerns about Middle East conflict returned to haunt sentiment following fresh military action by the U.S. against Iranian targets.
Fears of possible interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank next month hurt as well. The ECB should raise interest rates in June even if there's a quick resolution to the Middle East conflict, ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel said today.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.