Middle East Tensions Send European Stocks Reeling

European stock markets took a hit yesterday as tensions in the Middle East pushed up oil prices. The Euro was down against the US Dollar, with EUR:USD slipping into negative territory.

The UK's FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX both fell, with the latter leading the pack at -0.45%. France's CAC also declined by -0.34%.

Germany's trade surplus grew to €21.27B in July, thanks to a surge in imports. However, this came at the cost of a widening trade deficit in France, which expanded to €6.7B during the same period.

Austria, on the other hand, saw its trade deficit narrow sharply to €29.2M in June.