LONDON — European stocks were slightly higher Wednesday as investors attempted to look beyond escalating tensions in the Middle East and await fresh employment data out of the region.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.35% in opening trade, with the majority of sectors and major bourses moving in the green.
Oil and gas stocks added 2.42% on the prospect of supply disruptions in the Middle East, while travel and leisure stocks dipped 0.25% as airlines diverted flights out of the region.
Meantime, shares of British sports retailer JD Sports fell 3.5% even as the company reported expectation-beating revenues and profits for the first half.
The attack came on the heels of Israel's deployment of ground forces into south Lebanon, escalating its offensive on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.
Persons:
Hassan Nasrallah
Organizations:
Saab, BAE Systems, Thales, Rheinmetall, JD Sports, Nike, Nasdaq, Hezbollah
Locations:
Iran, Israel, Iranian, Lebanon