European stock markets closed lower on Friday as heightened tensions in the Middle East rattled investors, overshadowing optimism from improving US-China trade relations.
The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index dropped 0.89% to finish at 544.94 points. Germany’s DAX 40 fell 1.07% to 23,516.23, France’s CAC 40 declined 1.04% to 7,684.68, and Italy’s FTSE MIB 30 tumbled 1.28% to 39,438.75. In the UK, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.39%, ending the session at 8,850.63.
Investor sentiment deteriorated sharply after Israel launched a large-scale military strike on Iran, raising fears of a broader regional conflict. The attack, which killed dozens including top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists, prompted Iran to request an emergency UN Security Council meeting and pledge severe retaliation.
The euro also lost ground amid the uncertainty, declining 0.181% against the US dollar to trade around 1.156 as of 7.20 p.m. local time (1620GMT).
While markets had been buoyed earlier in the week by signs of progress in US-China trade talks, the sudden spike in geopolitical tensions shifted investor focus toward safe-haven assets and away from equities.
“Geopolitical shocks like this tend to spike volatility and reduce risk appetite,” said one analyst. “Even positive news like easing trade friction takes a backseat when investors are concerned about military escalation and energy market disruption.”
Market participants will be closely monitoring developments over the weekend for further clues on how the conflict may evolve and its potential impact on global markets.
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Central Asia’s population could reach 96 million by 2040, according to the head of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), highlighting both the region’s economic potential and the growing strain on infrastructure, trade routes and long-term development models.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Against a backdrop of mounting environmental pressure across Central Asia, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has announced that the Regional Ecological Summit (RES) 2026 will take place from 22–24 April in Astana.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Iran announced on Saturday (21 February) that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move after the EU blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
At least 25 members of Mexico's National Guard have died during a wave of violence in the state of Jalisco after the killing of a drug lord, the country's security minister has said.
The European Parliament on Monday (23 February) postponed a vote on the EU’s trade deal with the U.S. after President Donald Trump imposed a blanket 15% import duty.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say he would back any UK government plan to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, a statement shared by Starmer's office said.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency will halt the collection of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on Tuesday (24 February), more than three days after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the duties unlawful.
The U.S. ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 fighter jets with Lockheed Martin’s F-35, saying the stealth aircraft would ensure compatibility with Europe’s top-tier air forces.
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