European shares edge higher as investors await progress in Mideast talks

European shares rose 0.4% on Wednesday, driven by optimism over US-Iran negotiations and corporate earnings, with mining shares leading gains.

European shares rose on Wednesday as investors monitored corporate earnings and diplomatic efforts to end ‌the U.S.-Iran war and reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.4% to 659.29 by 07:20 GMT. Sentiment was supported as markets ‌awaited signs of progress in the U.S.-Iran negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump said ‌his administration had "very good discussions" with Iran during all-day negotiations, fuelling expectations of an imminent end to the five-month conflict. Mining shares led gains on the benchmark with a 2.4% rise.

Earnings commanded ⁠investors' ​attention. Novo Nordisk raised ⁠its full-year profit and sales outlook but disappointed investors who focused instead on a narrow ⁠sales miss for its new Wegovy pill and a trial setback for its next-generation obesity ​drug CagriSema. Shares of the Danish drugmaker dropped 3.5%. Novo is trying ⁠to regain ground from rival Eli Lilly in the fast-growing obesity-drug market, with investors watching for ⁠signs ​that its recent turnaround can be sustained and that the Wegovy pill can support longer-term growth.

On the flip side, Sandoz rose 7% after ⁠the Swiss generic drug maker reported a 9% jump in second-quarter net sales. Among others, ⁠Siemens Energy ⁠gained 3.9% after the energy provider posted record third quarter results on AI data centre boom and Middle East demand.