LIVE MARKETS-Europe before the bell: futures up on growing hopes of Iran war ending soon

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EUROPE BEFORE THE BELL: FUTURES UP ON GROWING HOPES OF IRAN WAR ENDING SOON

European stocks are set to start April in the green, after seeing some sharp declines in March, as markets are growing increasingly hopeful that the Iran war will come to an end soon.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the end of the war on Iran could be near, with Washington signaling potential for both direct talks with Tehran's leadership and a winding down of the conflict even without a deal.

Stock markets appeared to take the latest comments as a positive sign even as Washington has been issuing shifting, and at times contradictory, statements about the potential end of the war and what it might look like.

Euro STOXX 50 FUTURES STXEc1 are up 2.5%, while futures on the DAX FDXc1, CAC FCEc1 and FTSE FFIc1 are also all higher.

Wall Street futures EScv1 are also on the rise.

Stocks in Asia rallied, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS jumping 4.7% to snap a four-day losing streak. Japan's Nikkei 225 .N225 also soared 5.2%.

Updates on the Iran war will continue to be top of mind for markets. They will also be watching out for final March PMI data for various countries across Europe, which is set to provide insights into how the conflict in the Middle East has been affecting the economy.

(Sophie Kiderlin)

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