European Stocks Finish Choppy Trading Day Slightly Higher

European stocks finished a choppy session slightly higher as investors balanced geopolitical risk with the start of the earnings season. Brent crude rose about 6% after the U.S. and Iran exchanged missile strikes, adding uncertainty around oil supplies and regional stability. In London, the FTSE 100 ended just above flat, while Germany’s DAX gained 0.2% and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.3%. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed marginally lower at 641.01, after ending Friday with a slightly positive tilt. Among individual shares, PageGroup surged 25.5% after reporting second-quarter gross profit above expectations, and Grafton Group, owner of Woodie’s, rose nearly 2% on first-half trading growth and unchanged full-year adjusted operating profit guidance. Stellantis climbed 1.9% on a 10% increase in Q2 vehicle sales, Renault jumped 1.4% after a UK court rejected diesel emissions claims, and Derwent London gained after signing a £100 million unsecured revolving credit facility with Handelsbanken. Fresenius fell more than 3% after reaffirming its annual adjusted earnings growth guidance.