Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 23rd December 2025

ASIA

APAC stocks eventually traded mixed after initially taking their cue from Wall Street, although volumes and news flow remained subdued as markets wound down for the holiday period. ASX 200 was underpinned by strength in gold miners after the yellow metal printed a fresh all-time high near USD 4,500/oz, supported by a softer USD and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Nikkei 225 initially saw shallower gains than peers as a firmer yen, following official jawboning, capped upside for the index, whilst further gains in the JPY later took the index into the red. KOSPI extended its tech-led rally, with Samsung Electronics shares pushing toward near all-time highs. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp initially tracked the broader risk tone, while fresh region-specific catalysts remained scarce. Hang Seng later gave up earlier gains.

EUROPEAN CLOSES

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 -0.32% at 5,742, Dax 40 +0.03% at 24,296, FTSE 100 -0.32% at 9,866, CAC 40 -0.37% at 8,121, FTSE MIB -0.37% at 44,594, IBEX 35 -0.07% at 17,158, PSI -0.25% at 8,191, SMI -0.08% at 13,161, AEX -0.20% at 943.

SECTORS: Energy 0.58%, Materials 0.32%, Financials 0.04%, Telecoms 0.03%, Industrials -0.09%, IT -0.09%, Consumer Disc -0.21%, Healthcare -0.26%, Utilities -0.87%, Consumer Stpl -0.94%

FTSE 100

HSBC (HSBA LN) - HSBC's Senior Independent Director, Ann Godbhere, is to step down from her position at next year's annual meeting, citing personal reasons, via the FT. (FT)

UK Businesses - Bloomberg writes that several CEOs of major UK companies across different sectors have highlighted that they see AI trust issues and increased cyberattacks heading into 2026; one suggested that cost cutting measures will be a part of plans in the new year. (Bloomberg)

OTHER UK COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

DAX

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

CAC

Sanofi (SAN FP) - Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent approved in Japan for Children aged 6 to 11 years with bronchial asthma. Approval based on the global phase 3 program in children demonstrating Dupixent significantly reduced exacerbations. Dupixent reduces asthma exacerbations by 54-65%. (Sanofi)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

Elis (ELIS FP) - Co. acquired Adrett in Germany as part of its strategy to strengthen its network. Adrett’s revenue will be consolidated into Elis’ revenue from January 2026. (Newswires)

Technip Energies (TE FP) - Co. awarded a large authorisation by commonwealth LNG for key equipment purchase orders. Orders include Baker Hughes, Honeywell and Solar Turbines equipment. (Technip Energies)

BROKER MOVES

PAN EUROPE

EU Plastics - According to the FT, the EU is preparing checks on imported plastics and other measures to shore up its recycling industry. (FT)

Russia-Ukraine - Ukrainian President Zelensky says, "Negotiations to end the war are "close to achieving a result", according to Sky News Arabia. (Sky News Arabia)

BROKER MOVES

SMI

Nestle (NESN SW) - Co.’s CEO in an interview said that they regularly review their stake in L’Oreal (OR FP), but notes that there is nothing new to report. (Newswires)

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

SCANDINAVIA

Equinor (EQNR NO) - Co. Empire Wind receives a stop work order from the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. (Equinor)

ISS (ISS DC) - Co. renews a major contract with Australia's New South Wales Government department of education for 2.5 years and begins in Q1’26. (Newswires)

Novo Nordisk (NOVOB DC) - Co. says Wegovy pill is approved in the US as the first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight management after showing 16.6% weight loss in the Oasis 4 trial and said it plans to launch the drug in the US in January 2026. (Novo Nordisk)

Orsted (ORSTED DC) - Orsted Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind received lease suspension order from US Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Co. is evaluating all options to resolve matters, including engagement with the US government and evaluation of potential legal proceedings. (Orsted)

Skanska (SKAB SS) - Co. announces building renovation in Austin Texas, USA for approximately SEK 650mln (USD 65mln). (Newswires)

BROKER MOVES

US

CLOSES: SPX +0.56% at 6,873, NDX +0.46% at 25,462, DJI +0.47% at 48,363, RUT +1.08% at 2,557.

SECTORS: Materials +1.35%, Financials +1.25%, Industrials +1.12%, Energy +1.08%, Real Estate +0.71%, Health +0.66%, Consumer Discretionary +0.63%, Communication Services +0.57%, Utilities +0.42%, Technology +0.40%, Consumer Staples -0.41%.

NVIDIA (NVDA) - Co. plans to begin first shipments of H200 AI chips to China before mid-February. Initial shipments of H200 chips to China are expected to be ~40-80k units, but sources noted significant uncertainty remains as Beijing has yet to approve any H200 purchases, and the timeline could shift depending on government decisions, according to Reuters citing sources. To add, the Co. reorganises its Cloud division, effectively ending direct competition with AWS (AMZN), according to The Information. DGX Cloud team shifts focus to internal NVDA engineering needs. (Reuters/ The Information)

Tesla (TSLA) - Co’s shares in the EU and Britain, EFTA in November falls to 2.1% against BYD 2%; Bev market share at 9%. (Newswires)

Paramount SkyDance (PSKY)/ Warner Bros (WBD) - Paramount SkyDance (PSKY) has no immediate plans to raise its “hostile” offer for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and will likely wait until its first shareholder tender date of January 8th before announcing its next move, according to FBN's Gasparino citing sources. (Fox Business)

23 Dec 2025 - 06:57- EquitiesResearch Sheet- Source: Newsquawk