Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 12th August 2026
ASIA
APAC stocks traded mixed amid geopolitical uncertainty, earnings releases and as participants await US CPI data. ASX 200 retreated as attention turned to earnings and with the top-weighted financial sector in the red after CBA posted full-year results, which mildly beat estimates and showed a 7% increase in cash profit, although its CEO warned that economic growth is slowing. Nikkei 225 was choppy on return from the holiday closure and amid a lack of tier-1 data, while participants continued to reflect on recent currency moves and increased BoJ rate hike expectations. KOSPI rallied on tech momentum and futures triggered a sidecar, with firm gains seen in both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix propelling the index higher. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed, with the Hong Kong benchmark pressured as markets await earnings results, including Tencent kicking off Chinese tech earnings, while sentiment was also contained after the PBoC skipped its 7-day Reverse Repo operations for a second consecutive day.
Samsung Electronics (005970 KS), SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Singapore's Temasek Holdings reportedly plans to invest directly into the two Cos through its internal investment team, Asia Business Daily reports. (Asia Business Daily) Samsung and SK Hynix shares rose as much as 7% and 6% respectively.
EUROPEAN CLOSES
CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.28% at 6,554, Dax 40 +0.27% at 26,395, FTSE 100 -0.17% at 10,844, CAC 40 -0.13% at 8,715, FTSE MIB +0.08% at 53,706, IBEX 35 +0.20% at 20,214, PSI +0.61% at 9,211, SMI -0.40% at 14,575, AEX +0.31% at 1,117
FTSE 100
Revolut - Some high-paying subscribers have lost access to some WeWork offices without warning after WeWork sought to charge Revolut more for its customers to access its sites, the FT reports citing sources. (FT)
Rio Tinto (RIO LN) - The Co.'s Australian aluminium smelter is reportedly set to receive a government bailout to keep the plant operating, Bloomberg reports. (Bloomberg)
OTHER UK COMPANIES
BROKER MOVES
Bunzl (BNZL LN) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank
Melrose (MRO LN) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Kepler Cheuvreux
Raspberry Pi (RPI LN) initiated with Hold at Berenberg
Wizzair (WIZZ LN) downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley
DAX
Brenntag (BNR GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 4.26bln (exp. 4.02bln), Operating EBITDA 463mln (prev. 334mln Y/Y), Pretax Profit 262mln (prev. 82mln Y/Y). Raises its FY26 Operating EBITDA guidance to between 1.35-1.45bln. (Brenntag)
Deutsche Bank (DBK GY) - The PBoC announces that the Co. has been authorised as the first non-Chinese bank to settle yuan transactions in Europe. (Chosun)
E.ON (EOAN GY) - H1 2026 (EUR): Adj. EBITDA 5.4bln (prev. 5.3.bln Y/Y), Adj. Net Income 1.9bln (prev. 1.8bln Y/Y). Confirms FY26 guidance. (E.ON)
Hannover Re (HNR1 GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Net Profit 695.3mln (exp. 682mln), Reinsurance Revenue 6.4bln (exp. 6.38bln), Operating Profit 961.3mln (exp. 946mln). Confirms its FY26 guidance. (Hannover Re)
OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES
Bechtle (BC8 GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 1.73bln (prev. 1.49bln Y/Y), EBIT 84mln (prev. 68.4mln Y/Y), Business Volume 2.27bln (prev. 1.93bln Y/Y). Raises its FY26 guidance, now guides Business Volume to more than 10% (prev. guided 5-10%) and Revenue and EBT growth to between 5-10% (prev. guided 0-5%). (Bechtle)
K+S (SDF GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 978mln (exp. 905mln), EBITDA 175.9mln (exp. 146mln). Raises its FY26 operating EBITDA guidance to between 680-760mln (prev. guided 630-730mln). (K+S)
Thyssenkrupp Nucera (NCH2 GY) - 9M 2026 (EUR): Revenue 354mln (prev. 663mln Y/Y), EBIT -69mln (prev. 4mln Y/Y). Cuts FY26 guidance due to the discontinuation of the activities aimed at establishing its own SOEC mass manufacturing capacities and the resulting one-off earnings effect. Now sees EBIT between EUR -105 to -75mln (prev. guided -80 to -30mln), gH2 sales between 100-130mln (prev. guided 120-170mln), revenue between 450-500mln (prev. guided 450-550mln). (EQS)
TKMS (TKMS GY) - 9M 2026 (EUR): Revenue 1.89bln (prev. 1.59bln Y/Y), Adj. EBIT 110mln (prev. 98mln Y/Y), Order Intake 3.62bln (prev. 8.60bln Y/Y). Raises its FY26 sales growth to between 10-12% (prev. guided 2-5%) and Adj. EBIT margin to up to 6.5% (prev. guided "over" 6%). (TKMS)
TUI (TUI1 GY) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Revenue 5.82bln (exp. 5.98bln), Net Profit 82.5mln (exp. 67mln), Underlying EBIT 234mln (prev. 321mln Y/Y). Backs its FY26 view. Results reflected heightened geopolitical uncertainty, which influenced customer booking behaviour, as well as a EUR 20mln one-off impact from the Iran war. Says booking momentum over the past 4 weeks has been encouraging. Expects demand to remain strong in Holiday Experience in Q4. (TUI)
BROKER MOVES
CAC
OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES
BROKER MOVES
Arkema (AKE FP) upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays
PAN EUROPE
ABN Amro (ABN NA) - Q2 2026 (EUR): EPS 0.90 (prev. 0.67 Y/Y), Net Profit 781mln (prev. 606mln Y/Y), NII 1.7bln (prev. 1.53bln Y/Y). Raises its FY26 commercial NII guidance including NIBC to 6.8bln and lowers its cost guidance to 5.5bln. CEO: "Costs in the second half of the year may be influenced by the outcome of the collective labour agreement negotiations, which will resume in September." (ABN Amro)
Ryanair (RYA ID) - Co. announces a 5-year cloud partnership with Google (GOOGL), deploying its Gemini AI tools and DeepMind models across operations to help manage crew scheduling and make operational decisions. (Ryanair)
Wienerberger (WIE AV) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 1.4bln (exp. 1.42bln, prev. 1.2bln Y/Y), Operating EBITDA 230mln (exp. 231mln, prev. 253mln Y/Y). Guides FY26 Adj. EBITDA at 700mln (exp. 721mln). Says operating EBITDA fell Y/Y due to weaker-than-expected residential new-build activity, particularly in North America and the UK, and elevated cost inflation resulting from geopolitical conflicts. (Wienerberger)
BROKER MOVES
Akzo Nobel (AKZA NA) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays
BBVA (BBVA SM) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Keefe Bruyette
CaixaBank (CABK SM) downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette
SMI
OTHER SWISS COMPANIES
Schindler (SCHP SW) - Co. receives a contract to modernise 31 elevators at a General Motors' (GM) building in New York. (EQS)
Temenos (TEMN SW) - Co. announces a new share buyback programme of up to CHF 100mln. (Temenos)
BROKER MOVES
Clariant (CLN SW) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Berenberg
Zehnder (ZAH SW) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Kepler Cheuvreux
SCANDINAVIA
Kone Oyj (KNEBV FH) - Co. says the US DOJ has begun an in-depth review of the acquisition of TK Elevator to determine whether the deal would harm competition in the US market. (Bloomberg)
Sampo Group (SAMPO FH) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Net Profit 462mln (prev. 417mln Y/Y), Net Insurance Revenue 2.44bln (prev. 2.26bln Y/Y). CEO: "Sampo enters the second half of 2026 with robust operational momentum as we continue to extend our track record of delivering attractive and durable organic growth by leveraging our advanced operational capabilities in line with our ambitions." (Sampo)
Vestas Wind Systems (VWS DC) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 4.7bln (exp. 4.56bln), Adj. EBIT 446mln (exp. 200.4mln). Guides FY26 Revenue to between 20-22bln (exp. 21.3bln) and raises its FY Adj. EBIT Margin between 7-9% (prev. guided 6-8%). Announces a new share buyback programme of EUR 400mln. (Vestas Wind Systems)
BROKER MOVES
Novo Nordisk (NOVOB DC) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Berenberg
US
CLOSES: SPX -0.32% at 7,728, NDX -0.33% at 29,525, DJI -0.34% at 53,797, RUT +0.32% at 3,027
SECTORS: Communication Services -2.12%, Real Estate -0.86%, Consumer Discretionary -0.75%, Technology -0.26%, Consumer Staples -0.26%, Health -0.26%, Materials -0.09%, Financials -0.03%, Industrials +0.60%, Energy +1.06%, Utilities +1.11%.
CoreWeave (CRWV) - CoreWeave shares rose 15% in extended US trading after quarterly earnings and revenue beat expectations, and it raised its FY outlook, supported by accelerating AI infrastructure demand, a growing backlog and strong pricing for newer Nvidia (NVDA) systems. Q2 adj. EPS -1.03 (exp. -1.20), Q2 revenue USD 2.575bln (exp. 2.56bln). Backlog reached approximately USD 104bln, and excludes more than USD 25bln of new customer commitments added in early Q3. Active power capacity was 1.5GW, with management targeting more than 1.85GW by year-end. CEO said customer demand is accelerating as enterprise AI adoption broadens, while pricing and margins for Nvidia's Blackwell and Vera Rubin capacity are reaching new highs. Sees Q3 revenue between USD 3.45-3.60bln (exp. 3.42bln), Q3 operating income between USD 200-260mln, Q3 capex between USD 11.5-13.5bln. Raises FY26 revenue guidance to between USD 12.4-13.2bln (prev. saw 12-13bln), raises FY26 operating income guidance to between USD 960mln-1.15bln (prev. saw 900mln-1.1bln), and sees FY26 capex between USD 35-39bln.
Oracle (ORCL) - Oracle plans further job cuts this month, potentially reaching double-digit percentages on some teams, as it seeks to reduce payroll before 1st September, Business Insider reports. Oracle’s workforce fell 13% (around 21K staff) in FY26 to around 141K.
Super Micro Computer (SMCI) - Super Micro rose 7.8% in extended trading after forecasting annual revenue well above expectations, supported by strong demand for AI-optimised servers and improving margins despite a quarterly revenue miss. Q4 EPS 1.70 (exp. 0.96), Q4 revenue USD 11.1bln (exp. 11.56bln). While revenue nearly doubled Y/Y, it was below expectations due to short-term customer delays involving power, cooling and networking pushed some contracts into Q1. Q4 gross margin reached 17.5% (vs company’s preliminary guidance range of 15-17%), helped by a stronger customer and product mix. It generated more than USD 60bln of new orders during FY26, and entered FY27 with record backlog; nine customers generated more than USD 1bln of annual revenue each, up from four a year earlier. CEO said demand for AI infrastructure continues to accelerate, and a richer enterprise mix should support profitability. Sees Q1 EPS between 1.01-1.10 (exp. 0.76), Q1 revenue between USD 14.5-15.5bln (exp. 12.09bln); sees FY27 revenue between USD 65-72bln (exp. 53.29bln).
Daily opening wraps of this kind function as a positioning map rather than a catalyst; the read-through is in the clustering. Three threads stand out. First, US CPI is the session's hinge, and the pre-CPI pattern is well established: compressed ranges in the majors and Europe, with rates vol and index futures only repricing once the print lands, so the mixed APAC tape and flat European closes are the usual pre-event compression rather than signal. Second, the AI infrastructure complex is again doing the heavy lifting on sentiment, with CoreWeave's backlog and raised guidance plus Super Micro's forward numbers feeding the same capex-supercycle narrative that has repeatedly pulled semis and the KOSPI complex higher; the sidecar trigger in Seoul fits the historical pattern of concentrated two-stock leadership in that index. Third, the policy and state-intervention notes carry their own precedents: the PBoC skipping reverse repo operations has on past occasions been a liquidity-draining signal rather than an oversight, and is watched for follow-through in CNY fixings; BoJ hike expectations alongside a choppy Nikkei is the familiar sequence where yen strength caps exporter-heavy indices; and state rescues of smelting capacity, as with Rio's aluminium plant, have historically tightened regional supply assumptions only where capacity actually closes rather than where it is subsidised to stay open. The Deutsche Bank yuan-settlement authorisation fits the incremental pattern of renminbi internationalisation, more structural than market-moving. The calendar follow-ons are the US CPI print, Tencent's kickoff of Chinese tech earnings, and any second-day confirmation of the Temasek semiconductor interest.