LONDON: European stock markets drifted apart in subdued trade on Tuesday, as investors took to the sidelines following last week's Syria strike and sabre-rattling on the Korean peninsula.
London was the only major market to make gains in low-volume deals ahead of the long Easter holiday weekend, as investors digested news that Britain's inflation rate held at a 3.5-year peak in March.
The British capital's index climbed 0.5 percent in value, while Frankfurt and Paris both edged lower.
"The FTSE 100 briefly surged to a three-week high this morning, as volume-light trade and strong seasonality effects combined to send the market rallying in early trading," said analyst Chris Beauchamp at trading firm IG.
Frankfurt and Paris held in negative territory amid ongoing jitters over simmering geopolitical tensions between the United States and North Korea.
"Cautious investors are heading for the sidelines amid geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula and the upcoming French election all contributing to dampen sentiment and risk appetite ahead of the long weekend break," explained Andy McLevey at online stockbroker Interactive Investor.
US President Donald Trump's administration has rankled Moscow by saying it sees no peace in civil war-hit Syria while Bashar al-Assad remains president, while Russia has described last week's strikes as inflicting "considerable damage" to already "lamentable" bilateral ties.
Washington said the strike was in retaliation for a chemical attack on rebel forces that killed dozens.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Moscow this week to discuss the crisis with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov as members of the Group of Seven leading economies are meeting in Italy to hammer out a plan aimed at getting Russia to rein in Assad.
The tensions hit Asian markets, with Tokyo down 0.3 percent and Hong Kong down 0.7 percent.
The dollar fell against the yen after US Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen said the central bank would stick to its plans to raise interest rates only gradually.
- Key figures at 1030 GMT -
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London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 7,383.26 points
Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.2 percent at 12,176.80
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 5,102.33 percent
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,471.82
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 18,747.87 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 0.7 percent at 24,088.46 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,288.97 (close)
New York - Dow: FLAT at 20,658.02 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0601 from $1.0596 at 2100 GMT
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2414 from $1.2412
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 110.68 yen from 110.89 yen
Oil - West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 16 cents at $52.92 per barrel
Oil - Brent North Sea: DOWN 10 cents at $55.88
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