LONDON — European stock markets ended lower on Friday as investors continued to monitor geopolitical tensions.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index ended 0.1% lower, with major exchanges and most sectors mixed.
Semiconductor stocks in the benchmark index rose on Thursday after TSMC’s strong results, with some stocks extending their gains into Friday. Stock prices of Dutch semiconductor manufacturing equipment manufacturers ASML The stock hit a 52-week high and ended Friday trading 1.6% higher.
This comes just days after a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia gave Orsted the green light to resume work on the nearly completed Revolution Wind project. Equinor was allowed to resume work on the Empire Wind project from the same district. The Trump administration canceled five major offshore wind developments late last year. Equinor stock rose 2% on Friday.
European troops arrived in Greenland late Thursday ahead of a Democratic-led visit to Denmark on Friday to meet with Danish parliamentarians. Wednesday’s White House meeting over the future of the Danish territory ended without any diplomatic progress, although the United States, Denmark and Greenland agreed to continue dialogue.
Energy markets have been volatile of late as investors weigh the U.S. response, including a violent crackdown on civil unrest in oil-rich Iran and possible tariffs on Iran’s trading partners. Brent crude oil futures, the world benchmark, for the March contract were last up 1.1%, trading at $64.44 a barrel.
silver and gold Stocks have fallen as investors seek safer bets amid concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence. However, March and February futures linked to the metal fell 3.7% and 0.46%, respectively.
Asian semiconductor stocks rose on Friday, boosting several regional markets even as overall trade in the Asia-Pacific region was mixed. In the U.S., stock futures rose as rising stocks in banks and tech stocks pushed up the average for major stocks.
There are currently no major data releases.
—CNBC’s Chloe Taylor and Sam Meredith contributed to this report.
