[MARKET ANALYSIS] European bourses mixed, ASML NA slips after the US expressed concerns; US equities closed for Juneteenth

European bourses (STOXX 600 +0.2%) start Friday's trade mixed, amid light volumes as US traders are away for Juneteenth. The US-Iran peace deal has brightened the outlook for European equities, as Euro Area performance has lagged behind its US and Asian counterparts (mainly due to the lack of tech giants). Goldman Sachs, Barclays and SocGen have all raised their forecasts, with a Bloomberg poll of 16 participants showing that the STOXX 600 will end 2026 at 640 (currently at 637). Barclays and HSBC are targeting a street-high 670 for the index.
Sectors are mixed. Health Care (+1.2%), Energy (+1.1%) and Chemicals (+0.8%) top the sector pile, while Basic Resources (-0.5%), Retail (-0.6%) and Travel & Leisure (-0.6%) are the sector laggards.
German pharmaceuticals (Bayer +0.6%, Fresenius Medical Care -0.5%) were in focus this morning, after the USTR commenced a Section 301 probe into Germany's pharmaceutical space, stating that they are trying to determine whether persistent underpayment for innovative pharmaceutical products by Germany is unreasonable or discriminatory.
Other key movers: ASML (-1.6%), after the US expressed concerns that China could have its top EUV tool; Novo Nordisk (+4.6%), upgraded to buy at Nordea and announced the launch of research incubators across Europe; Vestas (+4.7%), placed on positive catalyst watch at JPM; Unite Group (-3.6%), after shareholder CPPIB placed 36.2mln shares at a discount.
US cash trade is shut for today, on account of the Juneteenth holiday.