European Stocks Ease as Middle East Strikes Push Crude Toward $91.50

European equities eased in the latest session as a spike in Middle East tensions from U.S.-Iran strikes sent crude oil higher, according to Investing.com. Brent crude tested resistance near $91.50, though the report noted early signs of exhaustion in the move. The combination of a hawkish tone from Fed officials and rising oil weighed on European stock indexes. The overlap of two separate pressures, a supply-side oil shock and tightening rate expectations, is what makes this move notable: either alone might have been absorbed more easily by markets, but together they raise input costs for companies just as borrowing costs are expected to rise. What is unresolved is whether the crude rally holds. Investing.com's live-levels analysis flagged exhaustion signs near the $91.50 level, meaning the direction of oil from here is not yet settled.