Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 16th September 2025

ASIA

APAC stocks traded mixed amid some cautiousness ahead of upcoming risk events and despite the fresh record levels on Wall St, where the mega-caps did most of the lifting as Alphabet joined the USD 3tln market cap club. ASX 200 marginally gained with the index led by strength in mining, resources and materials, but with gains capped by weakness in defensives. Nikkei 225 swung between gains and losses following an early unprecedented climb to above the 45,000 milestone on return from the extended weekend, while the calendar was quiet, although lower US tariffs on Japan took effect. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were subdued despite the recent talks in Madrid where the US and China reached a framework agreement on TikTok although the details were scarce, while US President Trump and Chinese President Xi are scheduled to talk on Friday.

EUROPEAN CLOSES

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.94% at 5,442, Dax 40 +0.15% at 23,734, FTSE 100 -0.07% at 9,277, CAC 40 +0.92% at 7,897, FTSE MIB +1.14% at 43,054, IBEX 35 +0.57% at 15,395, PSI +0.24% at 7,767, SMI -0.42% at 12,143, AEX +1.13% at 919

SECTORS: IT 1.71%, Consumer Disc 1.11%, Financials 0.90%, Industrials 0.71%, Utilities 0.67%, Materials 0.14%, Energy -0.02%, Consumer Stpl -0.50%, Telecoms -0.50%, Healthcare -1.06%

FTSE 100

Anglo American (AAL LN), Teck Resources (TECK) - Canadian PM Carney told Anglo American it must relocate its HQ to Canada for its USD 53bln merger with Teck to proceed, Globe and Mail reported. Anglo and Teck announced the deal last week, planning for the merged “Anglo Teck” to be headquartered in Canada with a primary London listing. Canada’s Competition Bureau will review the merger, and will assess possible anticompetitive effects and consult suppliers, competitors, and buying groups. (Globe and Mail)

Shell (SHEL LN) - South Africa’s top court will hear the final arguments in a four-year legal dispute between Shell and environmental activists over offshore oil exploration along the Wild Coast, Bloomberg reports. The case began in 2021 when a seismic survey was blocked due to concerns over community consultation and potential impacts on marine life and local residents. (Bloomberg)

UK Investment / Shell (SHEL LN) / Google (GOOGL) - Google will invest GBP 5bln in the UK over the next two years to meet rising AI demand, coinciding with the opening of its new data centre in Hertfordshire, a move expected to create thousands of jobs. Elsewhere, Google has selected Shell to manage its renewable energy supply in the UK, with Shell traders overseeing power flows using access to battery storage systems. (Newswires)

OTHER UK COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

easyJet (EZJ LN) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan

London Metric (LMP LN) resumed with Overweight at JPMorgan

DAX

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Beiersdorf (BEI GY) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies; analysts write that its Nivea brand has stalled YTD, but would need to sustain 4% organic sales for "the stock to work". (Newswires)

CAC

BNP Paribas (BNP FP) - Targets ROTE at 13% in 2028; CET1 Ratio at 12.5% by end-2027; affirms FY25 Net Income target at "more than" EUR 12.2bln. Further details on Axa IM (CS FP) acquisition will be provided with Q3'25 results. (Newswires)

France - French Central Bank sees economy growing 0.7% in 2025 (prev. saw 0.6% growth in June), sees 2026 growth of 0.9% (prev. 1%) and 1.1% in 2027 (prev. 1.2%). (Newswires)

STMicroelectronics (STMPA FP) - Italy Industry Ministry says collective layoffs at STMicroelectronics in Agrate would be unacceptable for the government. Later, the Co. said it is not planning redundancies at the Agrate, Italy plant, according to Reuters citing sources. (Reuters)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

ADP (ADP FP) - Group Traffic at 37.2mln. (Newswires)

Rubis (RUI FP) - In response to recent reports of a share capital increase, says, has been in contact with various industrial and financial counterparties. At the moment, options remain very preliminary. (Newswires)

Wendel (MF FP) - Co. to start disposal of 23.3mln Bureau Veritas (BVI FP) shares through ABB. Wendel's holding to be reduced to about 21.4% of the share capital. (Newswires)

BROKER MOVES

Danone (BN FP) upgraded to Buy from Underperform at Jefferies; analysts highlight that whilst creamers are still "challenged", the momentum is protein dairy has "exceeded expectations".

L'Oreal (OR FP) downgraded to Underperform from Hold at Jefferies

PAN EUROPE

Banca Popolare Di Sondrio (BPSO IM) - Co. appointed Recchi as Deputy Chair; Sonnino as CEO and Casini on the Board of Directors. (Newswires)

Mediobanca (MB IM) - A group of shareholders have initiated a share placement involving approx. 14.3mln shares, which represent 1.76% of the bank's capital, via Reuters citing sources. (Reuters)

Telecom Italia (TIT IM) - Co. independent director Benigni to resign, effective Sept 25. (Newswires)

BROKER MOVES

Ferrari (RACE IM) initiated with Buy at Berenberg

SMI

Swisscom (SCMN SW) - Swiss Competition Commission closed its investigation against Swisscom. (Newswires) 

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

Swiss Prime (SPSN SW) - Marcel Kucher to become CEO as per Jan 2026. Now searching for new CFO. (Newswires)

BROKER MOVES

SCANDINAVIA

Kemira (KEMIRA FH) - Acquired Water Engineering Inc for approx. USD 150mln. (Newswires)

Novo Nordisk (NOVOB DC) - Novo Nordisk reported results from the US INFORM survey on semaglutide (Wegovy) for weight management, showing a 46% reduction in constant intrusive thoughts about food. Participants noted improvements in mental well-being, healthier lifestyle habits (76%), and overall satisfaction with treatment (83%), with two-thirds reporting better mental health since starting Wegovy. (Newswires)

SSAB (SSABB SS) - Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority proceeds with case regarding a goodwill impairment review. (Newswires)

BROKER MOVES

US

CLOSES: SPX +0.47% at 6,615, NDX +0.84% at 24,294, DJI +0.11% at 45,883, RUT +0.34% at 2,405.

SECTORS: Consumer Staples -1.15%, Health -1.01%, Materials -0.82%, Energy -0.30%, Real Estate -0.30%, Financials -0.22%, Utilities +0.15%, Industrials +0.45%, Technology +0.82%, Consumer Discretionary +1.10%, Communication Services +2.33%.

Fed - US President Trump's Fed Board nominee Miran clears US Senate procedural hurdle and heads for confirmation. (Newswires)

Oracle (ORCL) - Co. is among a consortium of firms that would enable TikTok to continue operations in the US, while the precise structure of the final deal for TikTok US was unclear, but will include multiple companies, according to a CBS Reporter. (CBS)

Microsoft (MSFT) - Microsoft raised its quarterly dividend +10% to 0.91/shr (prev. 0.83).

Steel Dynamics (STLD) - Steel Dynamics guided Q3 EPS between 2.60-2.64 (exp. 2.57; vs 2.01 in Q2 and 2.05 Y/Y), citing stronger steel, recycling, and fabrication results, driven by higher shipments, wider metal spreads, and lower scrap costs. It is due to report Q3 results on October 20th.

Uranium - US looks to boost national strategic uranium stockpile, Bloomberg reports. (Bloomberg)

16 Sep 2025 - 06:47- Research Sheet- Source: Newsquawk