FX.co ★ European Stocks Little Changed on Wednesday

European equities were broadly flat on Wednesday as investors stayed cautious amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and ahead of the Federal Reserve’s July meeting minutes, which are expected to offer further clarity on the interest rate outlook. Support came from basic resources stocks, which gained around 0.6%, helped by stronger gold prices. In contrast, technology shares were the weakest segment, slipping about 0.4% as rising bond yields weighed on growth-sensitive names. Semiconductor stocks were also under pressure after reports that Anthropic’s annual revenue run rate reached $65 billion, falling short of some heightened market expectations. Soitec declined 4.4%, while Nordic Semiconductor and Scout24 each lost more than 2%. Geopolitical concerns remained in focus after President Donald Trump said there were no ongoing negotiations with Iran and asserted that the Strait of Hormuz was open. Meanwhile, UK inflation quickened to 2.9% in July from 2.6% in June, overshooting forecasts.