[MARKET ANALYSIS] European equities mixed, CBK GY gains following UCG IM takeover bid; US equity futures rebound following last week's losses

Newsquawk Staff · 16 Mar 2026, 09:15 UTC

European bourses (STOXX 600 -0.2%) are mixed to start the trading week, as the Middle East conflict remains front and centre. The FTSE 100 (+0.1%) is the outperformer as oil majors support the index, while the FTSE MIB (-0.6%) lags as Amplifon (-6.4%) slips after the Co. announced it will buy GN Store Nord's hearing unit for DKK 17bln.
Sectors paint a mixed picture. Energy (+1.0%) tops the tile as Brent extends above USD 100/bbl while Real Estate (+0.6%) follows closely behind as Segro (+1.4%) benefits from a broker upgrade and UK Rightmove house prices grow M/M. On the other hand, Basic Resources (-0.6%) sit at the bottom of the pile as spot gold dips below USD 5000/oz while Banks (-0.8%) remain under pressure.
Other key movers include Commerzbank (+4.3%), Reckitt Benckiser (+0.9%) and Bayer (+2.4%). For Commerzbank, UniCredit announced that it is making a EUR 35bln takeover bid for the Co. at a 4% premium from Friday's close. Reckitt benefits following an upgrade to overweight from equal weight at MS while Bayer's Kerendia met its primary endpoint in its phase 3 study, improving the filtration rate in patients with non-diabetic CKD.
US equity futures (ES/NQ/RTY +0.5%) point to modest gains despite gains in crude benchmarks. A weaker dollar seems to be lifting the equity space, as the DXY pulls back from YTD highs.

What our latest note said

US Market Open, 28 Oct, 10:34 UTC · what it led with

NQ futures outperform following SK Hynix's upbeat earnings.
DXY flat; NZD hit after the RBNZ unexpectedly held rates steady.

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