Buoyed by hopes of an imminent end to the Middle East conflict following statements by US President Donald Trump that the United States would leave Iran "very soon," European stock markets are expected to open sharply higher on Wednesday.
  

Media and music holding company Vivendi announced it has completed the acquisition of Prisma Media's luxury division, owned by Louis Hachette Group, which includes the French license for Harper's Bazaar, Côté Maison, IDEAT, MilK, and The Good Life.

Biotech company Nanobiotix announced on Wednesday that its cash reserves would allow it to finance its activities until early 2028. As of December 31, 2025, its cash stood at 52.8 million euros, compared to 49.7 million euros on December 31, 2024.
On Tuesday evening, luxury group Kering and cosmetics group L'Oréal announced they had finalized their strategic partnership in beauty according to the terms communicated on October 19, 2025, after obtaining approval from competition authorities.
  
Cryogenic membrane specialist GTT, for its part, reported having received an order in the first quarter from South Korean shipyard Hanwha Ocean for the design of tanks for two new LNG carriers.

Electronic payments specialist Worldline announced the successful completion of its capital increase of nearly 392 million euros. The operation, intended to finance the "North Star 2030" recovery plan, was oversubscribed by 121%, Worldline stated in a press release.
Argan will publish its first-quarter revenue on Wednesday after the close of the Paris Stock Exchange.
Around 7:40 AM, the CAC 40 futures contract gained 1.8%, according to data from broker IG.

Following Wall Street and Asian markets, European equity futures are showing a significant increase on Wednesday morning, as investors hope for a swift resolution to the Middle East conflict.

Around 7:40 AM, the DAX 40 futures contract in Frankfurt gained 2.1%, while the FTSE 100 in London rose by 1%, according to data from broker IG.

Donald Trump stated on Tuesday evening, during a press conference in the Oval Office, that the United States would leave Iran "very soon." The United States would not need to stay more than "two or three weeks" in the region, he affirmed.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt indicated that the US President intends to deliver a speech on Wednesday evening to provide "an important update on Iran."  
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, stated that the coming days of the war with Iran would be decisive, adding that the United States would "negotiate with bombs" until Tehran renounces its ambitions.
"Iran knows this, and there's almost nothing they can do militarily about it," he affirmed on Tuesday during a press briefing.  

Concurrently, the United Arab Emirates are preparing to assist the United States and other allies in opening the Strait of Hormuz by force, Arab officials indicated. Emirati diplomats urged the United States and military powers in Europe and Asia to form a coalition to open the strait by force, a UAE official stated.
On Tuesday, the New York Stock Exchange recorded its strongest gain in ten months as oil prices fell due to hopes of de-escalation in the Middle East. 

Following another decline, the market reacted very favorably to reports that Donald Trump was ready to stop the war with Iran even without reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, for his part, affirmed on Tuesday that his country was willing to end the war, but wanted to obtain guarantees that hostilities would not resume. 
The Dow Jones index gained 2.5% on Tuesday, to 46,341.51 points, and the S&P 500 rose 2.9%, to 6,528.52 points. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 3.8%, to 21,590.63 points.
In Asia, the Nikkei index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange surged 4.9% on Wednesday at the end of the session. The Shanghai Composite index gained 1.6%, while the Hang Seng on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange advanced 2.3%.
  

The two-year bond yield fell by 3.7 basis points, to 3.77%. Around 7:40 AM, the yield on the ten-year US Treasury bond lost 3.3 basis points, to 4.29%.
  

The greenback was stable against the Japanese currency, at 158.71 yen. Around 7:40 AM, the euro gained 0.2%, to 1.1578 dollars.
 

After their sharp decline the previous day, oil futures are rising this morning. Around 7:40 AM, the June contract for North Sea Brent crude traded in London gained 26 cents, or 0.3%, to 104.21 dollars per barrel. The May contract for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude traded on Nymex rose by 66 cents, or 0.7%, to 102.04 dollars per barrel.   

Priyanka Sachdeva, an analyst at Phillip Nova, indicated that prices are more influenced by diplomatic signals than by physical flows.

Unless the Strait of Hormuz fully reopens, investors will likely continue to buy on dips. The conflict restricts supply faster than demand can adjust, she specified.

Even after a potential ceasefire, transport costs and tanker traffic will likely take time to return to normal levels. The actual damage caused to oil infrastructure will also only be assessed after the fact, she added.