European equities edged higher Thursday as optimism around a potential Middle East ceasefire or peace resolution improved broader market sentiment across the region. Investors balanced that geopolitical tailwind against a busy slate of corporate earnings reports, making the session a dual-driver day for price action. The Middle East conflict has kept a risk premium embedded in energy prices and global supply chain costs for months; any credible move toward resolution would ease those pressures and support equity valuations, particularly in energy-sensitive sectors. Earnings results provided the more granular story, with company-level guidance and margin data likely to set near-term sector direction. The combination of a softening geopolitical backdrop and active earnings flow creates a selective rather than broad-based risk environment. Traders and portfolio managers will track whether ceasefire signals hold through the week and whether corporate results confirm or challenge the cautious growth consensus that has defined European markets this quarter.
Indian startups raised $5.2 billion across 501 deals in H1 2026, down 9% in value but up 7% in deal count year-on-year, per the Inc42 Indian Tech Startup Funding Report. The drop is driven by fewer mega-rounds, while AI funding surged 317% and growth-stage deal activity hit a multi-year high.
The BSE Sensex fell 893 points and the Nifty 50 shed 279 points on June 30, 2026, wiping out roughly Rs 6 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session. Both indices dropped 1.16%, closing at 76,200.68 and 23,824.10 respectively.
Kotak Mahindra Bank shares fell nearly 3% to Rs 397.6 after CEO Ashok Vaswani announced plans to exit the bank. Investor concern now centres on succession timing and whether the bank's ongoing digital and deposit-growth strategy will stay on track.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 3% at Monday's open while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%, as escalating US-Iran conflict triggered a broad risk-off move across Asian markets. South Korea's heavy reliance on Middle East oil imports makes it especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks of this kind.
