US President Donald Trump speaks during a healthcare affordability event in the South Court Auditorium of The White House in Washington, DC, on May 18, 2026.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON — European stocks are expected to open in mixed territory on Tuesday as traders assess the geopolitical landscape and developments in the Middle East.
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index is seen opening 0.13% higher, with Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 flat and Italy’s FTSE MIB 0.14% lower, according to data from IG.
European bourses will be following their Asia-Pacific counterparts into mixed territory on Tuesday, with oil prices in focus after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was postponing a scheduled attack on Iran.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that he’d told U.S. military leaders to call off a “scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow” after requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“A Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond. This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!,” Trump added.
The president cautioned that he has informed his military leaders “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”
Oil prices fell overnight following the statement with international Brent crude futures for July delivery down 2.04% at $109.81 per barrel as of 5 a.m. London time and West Texas Intermediate futures for June 1.12% lower at $107.44 per barrel.
In other geopolitical news, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, just days after Trump’s visit to China.
The summit, scheduled for May 19-20, marks the second time the Chinese and Russian leaders have met in the past year, as Beijing seeks to manage ties with Washington and Moscow.
The meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bankers also concludes in Paris on Tuesday. The meeting has been dominated by the Iran war and how to mitigate the global economic shock from the conflict.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure, chairing the G7 meeting this week, told CNBC on Monday that it’s important to understand the impact of the crisis on growth, inflation and budget deficits before making decisions.
In corporate news, the German government has announced its intention to re-privatize energy group Uniper, which was bailed out during the 2022 European energy crisis with a cost to the taxpayer of 13.5 billion euros ($15.71 billion).
The government, which owns a 99.12% stake in Uniper, on Tuesday announced its intention for the sale or a listing of the group in what could be one of the biggest European deals this year.
“We are now more stable, more resilient and more clearly positioned strategically. We have consistently aligned our business towards reliable earnings and have a strong balance sheet,” Uniper CEO Michael Lewis said on Tuesday.
Earnings come from Euronext and data releases include the latest EU trade balance figures.
