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Stocks rise as U.S. stays out of Middle East conflict for

now

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Oil tumbles as much as 3%, but still set for weekly gain

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European nations to hold talks with Iran in Switzerland

By Marc Jones

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Stock markets ticked higher

on Friday while oil skirted close to its biggest daily drop

since April after President Donald Trump pushed back a decision

on U.S. military involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.

Rising risks from the Middle East have loomed large on

the world's top indexes again this week.

Europe's main bourses all rose between 0.5%-1%

after similar gains across Asia, although it was

touch and go whether it would be enough to prevent a second

straight weekly loss for MSCI's main world index.

Israel bombed targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles at

Israel overnight as the week-old war continued although Friday's

markets moves, which also included a modest drop in the dollar,

showed an element of relief.

That was largely pinned on Thursday's statement from the

White House that Trump will decide in the next two weeks -

rather than right away - whether the U.S. will get involved in

the war.

European foreign ministers were to meet their Iranian

counterpart in Geneva on Friday, seeking a path back to

diplomacy over its contested nuclear programme.

The relief the U.S. wasn't charging into the conflict

sent oil prices down as low as $76.10 per barrel,

although they were last at just over $77 and still up 4% for the

week and 20% for the month.

"Brent crude is down 2.5% today in the clearest sign that

fears over an imminent escalation in the Israel/Iran conflict

have eased," MUFG strategist Derek Halpenny said.

Gold, another traditional safe-haven play for traders,

was also lower on the day although Nasdaq, S&P 500

, and Dow futures were all in the red after U.S.

markets had been closed on Thursday.

Asian shares had gained 0.5% overnight

thanks to a 1.2% jump in Hong Kong's Hang Seng and as newly

elected President Lee Jae Myung's stimulus plans saw South

Korea's Kospi top 3,000 points for the first time since

early 2022.

China's central bank held its benchmark lending rates steady

as widely expected in Beijing, while data from Japan showed core

inflation there hit a two-year high in May, keeping pressure on

the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate hikes.

That in turn lifted the yen and pushed down the

export-heavy Nikkei in Tokyo.

OIL RETREATS

The dollar was ending an otherwise positive week lower on

the day, with the euro up 0.3% against the U.S.

currency at $1.1527 and the pound 0.2% higher at $1.3494.

The U.S. bond market, which was also closed on Thursday,

resumed trading with the key 10-year Treasury bond yield

flat at 4.39%, while German 10-year yields

, which serve as Europe's borrowing benchmark rate,

fell 2.5 basis points to 2.49%.

Gold prices eased 0.5% to $3,354 an ounce, but were

set for a weekly loss of 2.3%.

But the main commodity market focus remained oil. Brent

crude futures were last down $1.60, or around 2.2%, at

$77.28 a barrel in London although they were still on track to

end the week 4% higher.

PVM analyst John Evans said the big market risk of the

Middle East troubles was "unintended action that escalates the

conflict and touches upon oil infrastructure".

"The world has more than adequate supply for 2025, but not

if the nightmare scenario of 20 million (barrels per day) being

blocked in the seas of Arabia, however briefly that might be,"

he said.

(Additional reporting by Stella Qiu in Sydney

Editing by Frances Kerry)