Major European Markets Close On Mixed Note

(RTTNews) - The major European markets ended on a mixed note on Wednesday as worries about escalating tensions in the Middle East and higher bond yields rendered the mood cautious, preventing investors from making significant moves.

U.S. forces resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas, and President Donald Trump threatened to hit energy targets in Iran, deepening fears of a wider supply disruption.

U.S. forces will intensify their campaign in the coming days, targeting power plants and bridges if Iran refuses to sign a deal with Washington, Trump was quoted as saying by Fox News.

Iran's IRGC warned of targeting oil routes for U.S. allies after launching a pre-dawn strike on the U.S. AI-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.

Missile alert warnings went out in Bahrain and Kuwait early today as they faced incoming Iranian fire.

Miners shed ground, weighed down by slower-than-expected Chinese GDP growth in the second quarter. According to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's GDP increased 4.3% in the second quarter, but that was the slowest pace of expansion in about three years.

Tech stocks were under pressure, weighed down by weak U.S. chipmakers. Auto stocks found support and helped limit markets' downside.

The pan European Stoxx 600 edged up 0.1%. The UK's FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX shed 0.13% and 0.59%, respectively, while France's CAC 40 ended 0.19% up. Switzerland's SMI closed with a gain of 0.46%.

Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Sweden closed weak.

Denmark, Ireland and Netherlands ended higher, while Belgium, Norway and Türkiye edged down marginally.

In the UK market, ICG climbed more than 5.5%. St. James's Place, Barratt Redrow, Persimmon, Entain and Smith & Nephew gained 3.3%-4.3%.

Imperial Brands, Burberry Group, Relx, AutoTrader Group, Natwest Group, Experian, Whitbread, Intercontinental Hotels Group, AstraZeneca and Informa also moved up sharply.

Miners Anglo American Plc, Fresnillo, Antofagasta, Glencore and Endeavour Mining lost 2.4%-3.5%.

Vodafone Group drifted down nearly 4%. Airtel Africa closed 3.25% down, while Scottish Mortgage, BT Group, BAE Systems and BP lost 1.7%-2.3%.

In the German market, Volkswagen, Heidelberg Materials, BMW, Scout24, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche Automobil Holding gained 2.3%-3.5%.

Fresenius, Siemens Healthineers, Adidas, Deutsche Boerse, Deutsche Bank, Henkel, Qiagen and Continental also ended notably higher.

Infineon tumbled more than 6%. BASF, Bayer and Commerzbank shed 2.5%-3%. Siemens Energy, RWE, Allianz and Hannover RE ended lower by 1%-1.25%.

In the French market, Edenred, Renault, Kering, Capgemini, Stellantis, Teleperformance, Saint-Gobain, LVMH and Hermes International gained 2.3%-4%.

Publicis Groupe, EssilorLuxottica, Societe Generale, Accor, Michelin and Sanofi also ended notably higher.

STMicroelectronics shed more than 3%. Air Liquide, Carrefour, Engie, Schneider Electric, Legrand and Orange lost 1%-2%.

In economic news, Eurozone industrial output declined unexpectedly in May largely due to the fall in durable consumer goods production, official data revealed.

Industrial production slid 0.2% month-on-month in May, in contrast to the 0.3% rise in April, Eurostat reported. This was the first decline in four months and came in contrast to the 0.3% expected increase.

Production of durable consumer goods and intermediate goods decreased 1.1% and 0.3%, respectively.