European stocks edged higher Wednesday, with investors focusing on scheduled talks to determine Greenland’s future.
At 03:05 ET (08:05 GMT), the DAX index in Germany climbed 0.1%, the CAC 40 in France gained 0.4% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. rose 0.2%.
For additional stock market insight subscribe to InvestingPro Greenland meeting in spotlight Geopolitical concerns continue to dominate sentiment, with investors focusing Wednesday on a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Greenlandic and Danish officials, given U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated advances toward “acquiring” the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Trump has repeatedly said Washington must own Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich Arctic territory.
Greenland and Denmark have said that Greenland is not for sale, but Trump has not ruled out taking it by force.
Elsewhere, the death toll from protests in Iran has climbed to over 2,500 people, the U.S.-based HRANA rights group said on Wednesday, as authorities have attempted to clamp down on the unrest.
Trump urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting, promising help is on the way.
U.S. producer inflation due There is little in the way of European economic numbers to digest Wednesday, and so the focus will once more be on the U.S. data slate.
Data on Tuesday showed U.S. consumer inflation was relatively subdued, keeping rate cuts in 2026 on the table, but the latest producer inflation and retail sales data could offer more clues as to the future path of monetary policy.
BP flags hefty impairment Turning to the European corporate sector, eyes will be on BP (LON:BP) after the energy giant flagged $4 billion to $5 billion in impairments in the fourth quarter, mainly related to its energy transition businesses, while flagging weak oil trading.
The oil major is attempting to refocus on its core oil and gas business, turning its back on prior plans to transition into a green energy company.
Elsewhere, Pearson (LON:PSON) reported a jump in sales growth to 8% in the final quarter of the year, with the British education company saying it expected its 2025 operating profit to rise by about 6%.
On Wall Street, there are more bank earnings to digest later in the session, this time from Citigroup (NYSE:C), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), after JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) reported quarterly profit that exceeded analysts’ estimates on Tuesday.
Crude retreats as U.S. inventories rise Oil prices slipped lower Wednesday, handing back some of the recent gains as Venezuela resumed exports and U.S. crude inventories rose, although developments in Iran remained in focus.
Brent futures dropped 0.8% to $64.96 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 0.8% to $60.69 a barrel.
Both contracts surged more than 2.5% on Tuesday, pushing Brent to an 11-week high and WTI to a 10-week peak, extending strong gains over four consecutive sessions.
Crude stocks in the U.S., the world’s biggest oil consumer, rose by 5.23 million barrels in the week ended January 9, the American Petroleum Institute reported on Tuesday.
Official stockpile data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration will be released later on Wednesday.
Additionally, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries member Venezuela has resumed exporting crude as part of a deal between Caracas and Washington in the wake of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Mounting protests in Iran, however, have increased fears of supply disruptions from the fourth-largest OPEC producer.
