FX.co ★ European Stocks Turn Positive

European equities turned higher on Thursday after a subdued start, with both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 gaining 0.3%, building on advances of more than 1% in the previous session. Investors remained focused on developments in the conflict involving Iran while looking for indications of a possible return to negotiations. According to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran informed the US in earlier talks that it was prepared to eliminate its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium in exchange for “something good in return,” Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said. Utilities and technology stocks led the advance, while among the large-cap names, ASML Holding (+0.3%), HSBC (+1%), AstraZeneca (+0.7%), Novo Nordisk (+1.4%), Shell (+1%), and L’Oréal (+0.5%) all traded higher.