Europe midday: Shares hold gains as peace talk moves remain unclear

(Sharecast News) - European shares were largely unchanged at midday on Thursday as traders assessed the latest moves to end the war on Iran and Lebanon. The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was up 0.22% to 618 at 1152 BST with all major bourses higher.

US President Donald Trump said via social media that Lebanese and Israeli officials would meet for the first time in three decades although this was disputed by Beirut.

"Global markets have staged one of the fastest recoveries in recent memory...after a bruising start to 2026. The S&P 500 closed at a fresh all-time high yesterday, a powerful reminder of just how quickly sentiment can turn once the outlook begins to stabilise," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

"It reinforces a simple yet often-overlooked truth: trying to perfectly time the bottom is exceptionally difficult, even for seasoned investors. In periods of heightened volatility, as we have seen recently, the best course of action is often to stay invested and avoid trying to time the peaks and troughs."

Eurozone inflation was revised upwards slightly for March after the impact of the Iran war on energy prices was taken into account, according to official data published on Thursday.

Consumer prices were up 2.6% year on year last month, compared with 1.9% in February and the flash estimate 2.5% published on March 31.

Energy inflation for the month was revised up to 5.1% from 4.9%. Meanwhile, core inflation, which strips out volatile energy and food costs, was unchanged from the flash reading at 2.3%, according to the European Union statistics office Eurostat.

In equity news, Gerresheimer surged as creditors agreed an extension for the submission of its financial accounts.

Tesco jumped after annual results showed a jump in profits despite a warning about economic uncertainty caused by the Iran war.

Barry Callebaut slumped after the Swiss chocolate maker cut its operating profit forecast, blaming supply chain disruptions linked to the Iran war and overcapacity in the cocoa market.

Low-cost airline easyJet fell after saying it expected to post a wider first-half loss as the war on Iran and Lebanon sent fuel prices soaring. Rival Ryanair was also lower on the sentiment.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com