Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on April 13, 2026 in New York City. <\/p>\n
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images<\/p>\n
LONDON \u2014 European stocks opened in mixed territory on Wednesday as traders assess the trajectory of the U.S.-Iran war and the prospect of renewed peace talks. <\/p>\n
Shortly after the opening bell, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index was seen trading broadly flat, with regional bourses and sectors painting a mixed picture. <\/p>\n
The U.K.’s FTSE 100<\/a> index opened 0.2% higher, while France’s CAC 40<\/a>\u00a0fell 0.6% in early morning trade. Germany’s DAX<\/a> rose 0.1%.<\/p>\n European luxury brands pulled the French stock market into negative territory on Tuesday as\u00a0a raft of disappointing earnings<\/a> weighed on the sector.<\/p>\n Shares in Kering<\/a> fell 8.5% on Tuesday morning as sales of its largest brand, Gucci, fell below expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company, which also owns brands Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga, also said retail revenue in the Middle East declined by 11% in the first quarter, following growth over the first two months of the year.<\/p>\n The drop in Hermes<\/a> shares was even steeper, last seen down 12% as currency fluctuations weighed on the firm’s sales figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n The retailer reported that currency fluctuations represented a “significant negative impact” on revenues of around \u20ac290 million ($295 million).<\/p>\n LVMH<\/a> and Christian Dior<\/a> were also down as the news rippled across the sector.<\/p>\n It follows more positive sentiment in Asia-Pacific<\/a> and U.S. markets<\/a> overnight, with oil prices falling amid rising hopes of a diplomatic solution to the Middle East conflict.<\/p>\n A\u00a0White House official<\/a>\u00a0told CNBC on Tuesday that a second round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran was under discussion. Nothing has been officially scheduled yet, the official said, who asked not to be named to discuss the administration’s internal plans.<\/p>\n President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0later\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0the New York Post that fresh U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad “could be happening over next two days.”<\/p>\n Earnings come from ASML<\/a>, Hermes International<\/a> and Antofagasta<\/a> on Wednesday. On the data front, EU industrial production figures are due later in the day.<\/p>\n \u2014 CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this market report.<\/p>\n