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EUROPE BEFORE THE BELL: FUTURES POINT TO STRONG START

European stock futures are higher on Tuesday, as oil futures have given back some of the rise from the day before, easing inflation worries.

The market is being led by two themes: the Middle East conflict and the AI boom.

In the Middle East, Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, a conflict that has inflamed the broader U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Markets remain cautious about progress in U.S.–Iran peace talks to end their three-month war given the fragility of the April ceasefire, but a de-escalation of the conflict in Lebanon could help discussions.

Euro STOXX 50 futures STXEc1 are up 0.7%. Futures on the DAX FDXc1, CAC FCEc1 and FTSE FFIc1 are up between 0.3% and 0.6%.

Europe's semiconductor and tech-hardware sector could get a boost on Tuesday after Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE.N shares jumped by over a third after market in the U.S., following a big boost to its forecast due to data centre demand.

(Samuel Indyk)

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