<div id="readability-page-1">Investing.com - European stock markets edged mostly lower on Thursday, as investors noted ongoing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz despite U.S. President Donald Trump's indefinite extension to a ceasefire in the Iran war. [[pro_promotion | Track European stocks with InvestingPro - now 55% off ]] By 03:05 ET (07:05 GMT), the pan-European Stoxx 600 had dropped by 0.4%, the Dax in Germany had fallen by 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. had shed 0.6%. The outlier was the CAC 40 in France, which gained 0.3%. Supporting sentiment around the index was cosmetics giant L'Oreal, which posted its fastest quarterly growth in two years even as concerns floated around the impact of the Iran conflict on consumer spending. Traders were also hunting for any signs that fresh peace talks could emerge between the U.S. and Iran, with Trump having told U.S. media that renewed negotiations are &#34;possible&#34; as soon as Friday. In a social media post on Tuesday, the president said a ceasefire deal with Iran had been extended just hours before it was reportedly due to expire at the request of Pakistan, which has served as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. Trump said the truce would be in effect &#34;until such time as&#34; Iranian officials present a &#34;unified proposal&#34; for peace. However, the fate of any future discussions between Washington and Tehran mired in uncertainty, particularly after the U.S. kept a blockade of Iranian ports and coast in place. Iran later attacked three ships - and seized two of them - near the Strait of Hormuz only hours after Trump's announcement. The prospect of further supply disruptions through the strait, a crucial shipping conduit for a fifth of the world's oil, pushed crude prices back above $100 a barrel. Yet some analysts have suggested that investors may be paying less attention to the near-constant stream of developments out of the Middle East, and are instead refocusing on corporate results and a boom in expenditures on artificial intelligence infrastructure.</div>

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European stock markets fell on Thursday amid ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, despite U.S. President Trump's extension of a ceasefire in the Iran conflict. The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 0.4%, with the Dax and FTSE 100 down 0.5% and 0.6%, respectively. The CAC 40 rose 0.3%, buoyed by L'Oreal's strong quarterly growth. Traders are looking for signs of renewed U.S.-Iran peace talks, although uncertainty remains after recent Iranian attacks on ships. Crude prices surged above $100 a barrel due to potential supply disruptions.

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European stocks inch broadly lower as Hormuz tensions remain