On March 18, 2026, the Iranian-flagged container ship “Nora” in Kalundborg Port, Denmark. The ship was seized by Danish maritime authorities in February over registration concerns.
Jens Nielsen | via Reuters
LONDON – European stock markets rallied sharply on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a potential dramatic de-escalation of the ongoing Iran conflict.
pan-european Stocks 600 The stock rose 1.4% in London shortly after 1:40 p.m. (9:40 a.m. ET) and was trading almost 2% lower in early trading, with major exchanges and most sectors surging into positive territory.
President Trump announced that he would postpone attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days. In a post on TruthSocial, the president wrote that U.S. and Iranian officials had “very good and productive” discussions regarding a “complete and complete resolution” of hostilities.
In Europe, travel and leisure stocks led the way, rising 2.8% in response to Trump’s post, while basic resources stocks, which were down 3.1% in morning trading, were last up 1.7%.
Precious metals have cushioned earlier losses. spot gold It fell 1.7% on Monday to $4,410.64. gold futures It fell 3.2% to $4,427.70.
The move followed a decline in Asian markets on Monday amid continued concerns over the Iran war and the closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would “destroy” Iran’s power plants if it did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours.
Iran responded with escalating threats targeting energy infrastructure and desalination facilities in the Gulf. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf also said on Saturday that companies that buy U.S. bonds and “finance the U.S. military budget” could be considered legitimate targets, along with military bases.
In corporate news, post italian Shares fell 6.3% after Italy’s majority state-owned postal company announced acquisition plans. Telecom Italia The deal was worth 10.8 billion euros ($12.5 billion) in cash and stock. Poste Italiane is Telecom Italia’s largest shareholder. Telecom Italia shares rose 5.9%.
delivery hero The company advanced 9.8% in afternoon trading after the company announced it had agreed to sell its shipping platform to Taiwan. Grab Holdings For $600 million.
crude oil price Monday’s volatile trading with global benchmarks disrupts brent The stock had risen 1.3% to $113.70 the day before, but plunged 8.1% to $102.99 following President Trump’s comments.
While Asia-Pacific markets fell, US stocks soared as soon as the market opened. Dow Jones Industrial Average It rose by 800 points (1.7%). of S&P500 and Nasdaq was also positive.
European earnings report provided by Kongsberg Gruppen. Exor and Gulp Energia. Spain’s trade balance statistics will also be released.
— CNBC’s Anniek Bao contributed to this market report.
