European shares were mixed on Thursday, as investors remained cautious amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and continued uncertainty over the path of US interest rates, while also assessing corporate earnings.
The European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.2% to 646.33 points.
Germany’s DAX index fell by about 0.5%, while France’s CAC index rose by 0.5%, and Britain’s FTSE index remained stable at 10,908.03 points.
This came after the United States launched new strikes on Iran on Wednesday, escalating the five-month-old conflict, which has spread beyond its main fronts to include additional countries in the region.
Energy stocks rose 0.3%, supported by Brent crude futures climbing above $90 a barrel.
In the United States, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, despite Chairman Kevin Warsh reaffirming his full commitment to reducing inflation, leaving markets uncertain about the next steps in monetary policy.
In Europe, attention was also focused on corporate earnings, with Schneider Electric shares jumping 7% after the industrial group raised its year-to-date performance forecast, while L'Oreal shares rose 2.2% after the French cosmetics company announced quarterly sales results that exceeded market expectations.
Conversely, Adidas shares led the list of biggest losers on the Stoxx 600 index, falling 15% despite the company raising its sales forecast for the year, while Airbus shares declined 2.3% despite announcing better-than-expected quarterly results.
