[Institutions: Market strategists unfazed by Middle East conflict, still betting on a rebound in European stocks] BlockBeats News, March 23: A survey conducted by institutions shows that market strategists remain optimistic despite growing inflation concerns triggered by the Iran conflict and expect European stocks to return to historical highs. The median forecast of 16 analysts predicts that the STOXX Europe 600 Index will rise about 11% from last Friday's closing price to reach 635 points by the end of this year. Currently, strategists believe that the conflict and the surge in oil prices are temporary factors and will not hinder the acceleration of European economic growth. None of the surveyed strategists have lowered their target expectations for the European benchmark index. UniCredit and DekaBank have even slightly raised their forecasts. The latter, along with HSBC, stands out as the most optimistic investors, setting a target level of 670 points, which implies a 17% increase in stock prices. The two most pessimistic strategists, from TFS Derivatives and Bank of America, believe the index faces a downside risk of about 2%. (Jin10)