Why it matters
- The STOXX 600 traded at 626.72 around 12:40 GMT, down 0.56%, after falling as much as 1.2% earlier to its weakest level since mid-June.
- Brent crude rose about 4.7% to near $105 a barrel after Trading Economics cited reports that the White House asked the Pentagon for strike options against Iran, lifting Shell and TotalEnergies.
- Tesco jumped 5.8% after raising its profit guidance, and Imperial Brands rose 4.7% on a £1.5 billion share buyback.
Session recap: what happened in this region's trading day, with sources.
European shares fell for a second day on Thursday, Oct. 8, as a jump in oil prices revived inflation fears. The STOXX Europe 600 traded at 626.72 around 12:40 GMT, down 0.56% from Wednesday's close of 630.25, according to Yahoo Finance data. Earlier it fell as low as 622.86, down 1.2%, Yahoo Finance data showed. Trading Economics said the index hit its weakest level since mid-June.
| Index | Level, about 12:40 GMT | Change |
|---|---|---|
| STOXX Europe 600 | 626.72 | −0.56% |
| Germany's DAX | 24,898.85 | −0.82% |
| France's CAC 40 | 7,738.87 | −0.39% |
| U.K.'s FTSE 100 | 10,449.53 | −0.09% |
| Spain's IBEX 35 | 19,035.40 | −0.43% |
| Italy's FTSE MIB | 49,577.48 | −0.79% |
Source: Yahoo Finance chart data. Intraday levels; changes are from Wednesday's close.
Why are European stocks down today?
Oil spiked again. Brent crude traded near $104.87 a barrel, up about 4.7%, Yahoo Finance data showed. Prices topped $105 after reports that the White House had asked the Pentagon to draw up strike options against Iran, and as attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz intensified, Trading Economics said.
Minutes of the Federal Reserve's September meeting, released Wednesday, said most officials saw another rate increase as likely appropriate by year end. That kept pressure on bond yields worldwide.
Which sectors are falling?
Basic resources led the decline, with banks and health care also weaker, Trading Economics said. Oil and gas shares rose. HSBC fell 1.7%, Siemens lost 2.1% and ASML slipped 1.0%, while Shell gained 2.6% and TotalEnergies rose 2.9%, Yahoo Finance data showed.
Movers: Tesco and Imperial Brands rise
Tesco jumped 5.8% after its first-half adjusted operating profit grew 6.3%, and the grocer raised its full-year guidance and lifted its buyback to £950 million, Trading Economics reported. Imperial Brands rose 4.7% after announcing a £1.5 billion buyback. Vodafone fell 2.0% after raising its annual cost-savings target to £1 billion by 2032, Trading Economics said. Share moves are from Yahoo Finance data around 12:40 GMT.
The FTSE 100 earlier fell to around 10,400, its lowest since June 19, Trading Economics said, before recovering most of the loss.
What are French and German bond yields doing?
They are steady near recent highs. France's 10-year yield was about 4.90% and Germany's 10-year Bund yield about 3.51%, Trading Economics data showed. That leaves France paying about 1.4 percentage points more than Germany to borrow for 10 years. The euro traded near $1.119 around 12:55 GMT, Yahoo Finance data showed. Our Europe Wednesday recap has the jump in French yields.
What comes next?
U.S. weekly jobless claims and a $22 billion 30-year bond sale are on Thursday's calendar; see our day-ahead guide. Asia's session is in our Asia Thursday recap, and more coverage is on the Europe page.
Follow the rest of the trading day on our global market today page, with the latest Asia, Europe and Americas session recaps.
Sources
- Trading Economics, Euro area stock market
- Trading Economics, U.K. stock market (FTSE 100)
- Trading Economics, Brent crude oil
- Trading Economics, France 10-year OAT yield
- Trading Economics, Germany 10-year Bund yield
- Federal Reserve, FOMC minutes, Sept. 15–16, 2026
- Yahoo Finance, chart data for the STOXX Europe 600, DAX, CAC 40, FTSE 100, IBEX 35, FTSE MIB, Brent crude and EUR/USD
- Yahoo Finance, stock chart data for Tesco, Imperial Brands, Vodafone, HSBC, Siemens, ASML, Shell and TotalEnergies