European stock markets are impacted by India-Pakistan clash

On Wednesday, European stock markets started lower after fresh hostilities showed up between Pakistan and India, making Asian assets dive and also pushing traders into safe havens, including the Japanese yen.

The STOXX 600 lost 0.5%. As for the key regional indexes, all of them found themselves in the red. American stock futures for the S&P 500 lost 0.1%.

Previously, Pakistan told it had delivered air strikes in Indian-controlled Kashmir and also put down two Indian jets.

Pakistan and Indian currencies and bonds headed south, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan declined by 0.15% because the threat of conflict between the nuclear-armed countries increased.

Besides this, financial markets were monitoring the US-North Korean summit, expected to burst out in Hanoi on Wednesday. American leader is going to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with America urging the isolated country have its nuclear weapons program dismantled.

The heightened geopolitical risks helped a number of assets considered safer than shares. For instance, one of them is the Japanese yen that soared versus the evergreen buck.

The evergreen buck kept to a three-week minimum after on Tuesday Fed Chair Jerome Powell repeated that the major US bank had shifted to a more patient stance as for changes to interest rates.

Meanwhile, in the Forex market, the UK currency kept soaring after Prime Minister Theresa May gave British lawmakers a chance to vote on postponing Brexit. The UK pound was worth $1.3274, having ascended to $1.3288 on Tuesday, which is its highest outcome for five months.

Crude prices went up following a report that American crude inventories had slipped and producer club OPEC reportedly stuck with its supply cuts notwithstanding pressure from Donald Trump.

As for gold, it tumbled by 0.17% hitting $1,326.24.