(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 30 mar - European share prices were mixed at midday, as a surge in energy stocks helped some markets withstand the direct entry of Yemen's Houthi rebels into the Middle East conflict.

Investor focus remained locked on the escalating US-Iran confrontation. While US president Donald Trump indicated that a deal with Tehran remains possible, sentiment was tempered by his suggestion to 'take the oil,' implying a potential ground operation at Iran's key export hub of Kharg Island.

The situation was further complicated as Houthi rebels, allies of Tehran, became directly involved in the regional tensions, fueling fears of a major disruption to global energy flows.

On the data front, the eurozone Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) fell to 96.6 in March, its lowest level since October 2023.

In Italy, industrial producer prices fell 0.4% in February compared to the previous month, with a 2.7% drop on an annual basis.

Preliminary inflation figures from Germany are due later today.

At 1055 GMT, London's FTSE 100 was up 0.49% at 10,016.58 points and Madrid's IBEX 35 was 0.14% higher at 16,860.86 points. Bucking the upward trend, Milan's FTSE MIB index lost 0.03% to 43,367.50 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 shed 0.04% to 7,698.96 points and in Frankfurt the DAX slipped.

0.22% to 22,266.18 points.

(RADIOCOR) 30-03-26 12:07:25 (0264) 5 NNNN