European natural gas prices have declined as Russian fuel continues to flow through Ukraine, easing supply concerns. Meanwhile, major stock markets have shown mixed performance amid rising expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut next month and weak oil demand. In London, the FTSE 100 index slipped, impacted by falling energy and copper mining stocks. This decline was partially offset by optimism surrounding potential interest rate reductions by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Gulf markets also exhibited mixed results, with some indices showing gains due to the same rate-cut hopes. Analysts have indicated that Brent crude prices could be negatively affected by soft demand in China, as noted by Goldman Sachs.