Europe Markets

Europe stocks end lower as U.S-Iran ceasefire comes under strain

Shares in Europe finished lower on Thursday, as the fragile truce agreed between the U.S. and Iran already shows signs of strain.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed the session down 0.4%, with most major regional bourses and sectors finishing in the red.


Travel and leisure stocks were among those hardest hit, with German firms Lufthansa and Tui giving up some of the previous day's gains to end Thursday down 3.2% and 1.5%, respectively.

Late on Wednesday, Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire less than 24 hours after it was agreed. Ghalibaf highlighted Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon, a drone's entry into Iranian airspace and the denial of the Islamic Republic's right to enrich uranium.

U.S. military forces will remain deployed in and around Iran until Tehran fully complies with the "real agreement," President Donald Trump said Wednesday, warning that any breach would trigger a military response larger than anything seen before.

Asian markets traded lower following the dispute. South Korea's Kospi was down 1.53%, while the small-cap Kosdaq declined 1.38%. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell by 0.77%, while the Topix was 0.78% lower.

In the U.S., markets were up, reversing losses earlier in the day, with the S&P 500 last seen 0.26% higher, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% and the Nasdaq rose 0.3%.

Thursday's moves follow a particularly strong session in Europe on Wednesday, when the pan-European Stoxx 600 index finished the day 3.7% higher.

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