European stock markets nervous after Israel's retaliatory attack on Iran. The crisis in the Middle East is fueling sell-offs in the equity sector, with the consequent shift in investments towards safe havens and bonds. On the currency front, the Euro weakens to 1.0645 against the dollar.
The Stoxx 600 area index lost 0.7%. Sales in Madrid (-1.2%), Frankfurt (-0.9%), Paris (-0.7%), London (-0.6%). The main price lists are weighed down by the negative performance of banks (-1.3) and luxury goods (-1.2%). Energy is also down (-1.1%), with the price of oil stopping the trend. WTI gains 0.2% to 82.9 dollars a barrel and Brent rises 0.1% to 87.2 dollars.
Among raw materials, the price of gas is decreasing with the utility stock sector recording a decline of 0.4%. In Amsterdam prices fell by 2.8% to 31.3 euros per megawatt hour.
On the government bond front, there was a slight decline in yields. The spread between BTPs and Bunds is stable at 142 points, with the yield on the Italian 10-year bond falling by two basis points to 3.88% and the German one to 2.46%. Spain also fell to 3.27% and Greece to 3.52%. The price of gold slows down to 2,385 dollars an ounce after having reached a high of 2,417 dollars.