Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 14th August 2026
ASIA
APAC stocks traded mixed as the region only partially sustained the positive handover from Wall Street, where the S&P 500 hit a fresh record high, and the Nasdaq outperformed on tech strength, as softer PPI data further added to the case for the Fed to refrain from hiking rates in September. Nonetheless, the positive momentum began to wane overnight with little fresh major catalysts and after US President Trump signed a proclamation imposing tariffs on drones and components. ASX 200 was pressured as the strength in tech was overshadowed by losses in the heavy industries, including miners, materials, resources and industrials, while participants also digested earnings releases. Nikkei 225 gained and briefly reclaimed the 69,000 level before paring some of the advances, while participants continue to second-guess whether the BoJ will speed up the pace of rate increases. KOSPI outperformed on tech momentum, but is off earlier highs with resistance at the 7,000 level. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were subdued amid a slew of earnings releases including from SMIC and JD.com, with the latter pressured despite beating on the top and bottom lines, while sentiment was also not helped by trade-related frictions with the US to impose tariffs of up to 100% on drones, which seems to be aimed at China and DJI, which holds around an 80% share of the global drone market.
LG Group (066570 KS), Nvidia (NVDA) - LG Group will unveil a humanoid robot using Nvidia’s Isaac GR00T platform in Q1 2027 and deepen cooperation in AI data centres and mobility, The Korea Times reports. LG Electronics, LG Innotek and LG Energy Solution will supply key robot components. LG also plans an Nvidia-based AI data centre reference site in H1 2027, and an 80-megawatt facility in H1 2028. (The Korea Times)
EUROPEAN CLOSES
CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.20% at 6,547, Dax 40 -0.15% at 26,292, FTSE 100 -0.56% at 10,773, CAC 40 -0.28% at 8,651, FTSE MIB -0.01% at 53,693, IBEX 35 -0.18% at 20,169, PSI -0.21% at 9,254, SMI +0.19% at 14,476, AEX +0.66% at 1,120
FTSE 100
Anglo American (AAL LN) - Producer Kumba Iron Ore, part of Anglo American, has reportedly reached a yearlong deal with CMRG to supply iron ore to its mills, Bloomberg reports. (Bloomberg)
BP (BP / LN) - Co. announces that it has been awarded an exploration and production licence for Phase 2 of the Loran field in the Plataforma Deltana area in Venezuela. (BP)
OTHER UK COMPANIES
BROKER MOVES
DAX
OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES
BROKER MOVES
CAC
OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES
Valneva (VLA FP), Pfizer (PFE) - Cos announced that the EMA has validated the Marketing Authorization Application for PF-07307405, the companies' 6-valent OspA-based Lyme disease vaccine candidate and will begin its assessment of the application. (Business Wire)
BROKER MOVES
PAN EUROPE
Automakers - Ford (F), General Motors (GM) and Stellantis (SLTAM IM/STLAP FP) plan to argue proposed USMCA changes could add billions in annual costs and weaken competitiveness, Reuters reports. A proposed 50% US-made content threshold and higher North American content requirement could cost each Detroit automaker at least USD 2bln annually. GM expects USD 2.5-3.5bln in tariff costs this year, while Ford estimates about USD 1bln. (Reuters)
Drone tariffs - The US is applying a 100% tariff on imports of unmanned aircraft systems and their components, according to the White House. The 100% rate will apply to drones of a certain size or those that possess national security capabilities. Other imports will face lower duties. (White House)
Ferrovial (FER SM) - Co. says it plans to delist from Euronext Amsterdam in September, with the last trading day expected on September 10th. Co. will remain listed on the Nasdaq and Spanish Stock Exchanges. (Ferrovial)
Stellantis (STLAM IM/STLAP FP) - The Co.'s South America COO told reporters that the Co. is rethinking its South American technology strategy due to the changing markets. (Bloomberg)
BROKER MOVES
SMI
OTHER SWISS COMPANIES
BROKER MOVES
SCANDINAVIA
Kesko (KESKOB FH) - Reports July sales EUR 1.11bln, +5.9% Y/Y. (Kesko)
Norsk Hydro (NHY NO) - Co. says Alunorte has reached a temporary agreement with its gas supplier CELBA regarding terminal access. The refinery has consequently begun increasing alumina production. (Norsk Hydro) It was previously reported that Alunorte has temporarily reduced alumina production due to disruptions to natgas availability.
Skanska (SKAB SS) - Co. signs an additional contract to build light rail transit in Van Nuys, US, for about SEK 8.9bln. (Skanska)
BROKER MOVES
Maersk (MAERSKB DC) upgraded to Hold from Sell at Nordea
Valmet (VALMT FH) downgraded to Hold from Buy at SEB
US
CLOSES: SPX +0.65% at 7,799, NDX +1.15% at 30,084, DJI +0.13% at 53,845, RUT +0.24% at 3,053
SECTORS: Materials -0.73%, Energy flat, Health flat, Industrials flat, Consumer discretionary +0.27%, Utilities +0.38%, Financials +0.58%, Consumer staples +0.89%, Technology +0.96%, Real estate +1.35%, Communication services +1.56%
Applied Materials (AMAT) - Applied Materials' shares fell 5.1% in extended US trading as lofty investor expectations overshadowed solid quarterly results, an above-consensus outlook, and continued strength in AI-related semiconductor equipment demand. Q3 adj. EPS 3.50 (exp. 3.40), Q3 revenue +25% Y/Y at USD 9.12bln (exp. 9.0bln). Revenue reached a record, with the company also posting the highest sequential revenue growth in its history. Management expects strong H2 demand across DRAM, leading-edge foundry-logic and advanced packaging, with calendar-2026 packaging revenue now seen growing more than 70% (up from prior expectations of more than 50%). CEO said AI adoption is driving unprecedented demand for materials engineering solutions, while customer visibility has lengthened, with some discussions extending to 2030. Sees Q4 adj. EPS between 3.82-4.22 (exp. 3.68), Q4 revenue between USD 9.75-10.75bln (exp. 9.54bln), Q4 adj. gross margin of about 50.4% (exp. 50.15%). Management also raised its FY26 Semiconductor Systems revenue expectations and expects another strong growth year in 2027.
Lam Research (LRCX) - Lam Research plans to invest more than USD 3bln over the next five years to expand its global R&D laboratory network. The multi-site programme is expected to increase experiment capacity by more than 50%. Lam said the investment will strengthen its integrated 24/7 R&D network and shorten product-development cycles from pathfinding through fab deployment.
Pony AI (PONY), Uber Technologies (UBER) - Pony.ai and Uber plan to deploy more than 2,000 Pony.ai robotaxis across Europe. The partnership will expand from Zagreb to four additional European cities, with Middle East deployments also planned. Pony.ai will provide Level 4 autonomous-driving technology and operational expertise, while Uber brings booking, payments, customer service and platform access.
S&P 500 (SPX) - Reddit (RDDT) will replace AvalonBay (AVB) in the S&P 500 before trading on 18th August, while post-merger Vivmark Residential (VMRK) remains in the index. Sun Communities (SUI) will replace Webster Financial (WBS) in the S&P MidCap 400 before trading on 20th August.
Daily opening wraps of this kind carry several threads rather than a single signal, and the read is about which of them survives the European session. The macro spine is the soft US PPI feeding September Fed pricing: on prior occasions a benign upstream inflation print has eased front-end rate expectations and supported duration-sensitive sectors, with real estate and communication services leading the sector tape here in the established pattern for such days. The trade thread is the fresher one: drone tariffs pitched at very high rates against a dominant Chinese supplier fit the episodic pattern of sector-specific levies that tend to be digested first in the targeted names and only later in broader risk, with retaliatory rhetoric from Beijing the usual next tell. The USMCA content-threshold dispute is the slower-burning follow-on: automakers quantifying multi-billion annual cost exposure ahead of a review negotiation is a familiar sequence, and the stated figures become the anchor for lobbying rather than for near-term earnings revisions. On the corporate side, a semiconductor equipment bellwether beating on revenue, guidance and AI-driven demand yet selling off in extended trade is the classic high-expectations setup, where positioning rather than the print drives the reaction and peer sympathy moves tend to fade. Worth noting is the index rebalancing flow around the S&P additions and deletions, a mechanical event whose price effects historically concentrate into the effective dates. Confidence is tempered only by the breadth of the wrap.