Stock markets: Europe up, driven by the tech sector. Crude oil prices rise amid the US-Iran standoff - Il Sole 24 ORE

European equity markets opened higher, with the technology sector providing the main support, according to Il Sole 24 ORE. The move suggests investors were again willing to favour growth-oriented names, a pattern that has repeatedly shaped sentiment across the region this year. Sector leadership of this kind matters because it can signal whether risk appetite is broadening or narrowing.

At the same time, crude oil prices rose amid the US-Iran standoff. Energy is a cost input for much of the economy, so firmer crude can feed through to transport, manufacturing and consumer prices over time, while also influencing inflation expectations and, by extension, how central banks are perceived.

For observers, the pairing is the point: equities advancing on tech strength while oil climbs on geopolitical tension. Whether the two trends reinforce each other or diverge will depend on how the standoff develops and whether energy costs begin to weigh on the same growth sectors currently leading the market.