European stocks may drift lower at open on Wednesday as U.S.-Iran peace talks stalled and tensions continued to escalate over the Strait of Hormuz. After a second round of U.S.-Iran peace talks failed to materialize, U.S. President Donald Trump has unilaterally extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely...
Swiss stocks ended notably lower on Tuesday after languishing in negative territory right through the day's session, as uncertainty about U.S.-Iran ceasefire rendered the mood cautious.
Despite a spell in positive territory early on in the session, European stocks closed weak on Tuesday as investors weighed the prospects of fresh talks between the U.S. and Iran ahead of the expiry deadline for the two-week ceasefire between the two nations.
UK stocks turned in a mixed performance Tuesday morning with investors largely making cautious moves, reacting to the nation's unemployment data, and also weighing the possibility of a fresh round of U.S.-Iran peace talks.
France's equity benchmark CAC 40 was up marginally at noon on Tuesday in cautious trade amid hopes of a fresh round of talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan this week.
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.