31.03.202616:04:27UTC+00European Stocks Gain for 2nd Session

European stocks edged higher for a second consecutive session as investors continued to evaluate how corporates will cope with an uncertain macroeconomic environment. The Eurozone’s STOXX 50 advanced 0.3% to 5,560, while the pan-European STOXX 600 gained 0.4% to 583.

Both headline and core inflation in the Eurozone came in slightly below expectations for March. Even so, the figures confirmed that the outbreak of war in the Middle East has already exerted strong upward pressure on prices across the bloc’s economy. ECB President Christine Lagarde and Chief Economist Philip Lane signaled that these developments are likely to prompt a hawkish response from the central bank, though the scale of any move will depend on the severity of the energy shock.

Banks benefited from a decline in Eurozone bond prices, with UniCredit, Deutsche Bank, and BBVA climbing as much as 2%. Stocks linked to AI sentiment also advanced, tracking a rebound on Wall Street; Infineon rose 2.2%. Despite the day’s gains, the Middle East conflict weighed heavily over the month, driving the STOXX 50 to a 9.5% slide in March.