European equities pared earlier losses by Tuesday’s close, with both the Euro Stoxx 50 and the broader Stoxx 600 ending roughly 0.5% lower. The UK and Spanish markets underperformed, while German and French indices registered more modest declines and Italy finished little changed.
Sector-wise, basic resources led the downside, sliding nearly 2% as prices for gold, silver and copper weakened amid uncertainty surrounding US–Iran diplomatic developments. Retail stocks fell more than 1.5%, and oil and gas names shed close to 1% in tandem with softer crude prices. Technology shares were also weaker, down about 0.9%, with SAP losing around 2% and ASML trading lower as well. Among individual names, Inditex and Banco Santander declined, while L’Oréal and Linde recorded smaller losses.
There were notable outperformers: Bayer jumped more than 4.5% after lifting its 2026 profit guidance, and Philips climbed almost 5% following better‑than‑expected earnings. LVMH advanced about 2%.
Overall sentiment was restrained as investors looked ahead to the US midterm elections, which will shape control of Congress and could influence the country’s broader political trajectory.
