European stock indexes fell, dragged down by declines in industrial and technology stocks.

European blue-chip stocks opened lower, influenced by rising oil prices and continued selling pressure on stocks related to artificial intelligence. The escalating Middle East situation put pressure on energy-intensive aerospace and defense sectors, while the Europe Stoxx 600 index fell by 0.9%. With industrial stocks weakening, the German DAX index fell by 1.25%, with Siemens and ThyssenKrupp falling by 2.2% and 1.9% respectively. In Paris, the French CAC 40 index fell by 0.8%. Defense group Safran fell by 2.9%, car manufacturer Stellantis fell by 2.8%. Oil giants cushioned the decline of London's FTSE 100 index, which fell by 0.3%. Investors continued to sell off tech stocks, dragging down the Amsterdam AEX index, which has a high weight in semiconductor stocks, by 0.9%. ASML fell by 2.4%. The Italian FTSE MIB index fell by 0.4%, with Banca MPS surging by 9.5% as reports of an acquisition emerged, limiting the index's decline. The Spanish IBEX 35 index fell by 0.5%.