Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 16th February 2026

APAC stocks began the week in the green but with gains limited following a lack of major fresh catalysts from over the weekend and amid thinned conditions owing to holiday closures in the region and North America. ASX 200 traded marginally higher with upside led by tech, although gains are capped by underperformance in the utilities, mining, materials and resources sectors, while participants also digested a slew of earnings releases. Nikkei 225 traded indecisively with the index constrained by disappointing Japanese preliminary Q4 GDP data, which showed the economy returned to growth but failed to meet expectations with GDP Q/Q at 0.1% (exp. 0.4%), and annualised GDP at 0.2% (exp. 1.6%). Hang Seng finished higher in a shortened trading session on Chinese New Year's Eve but with upside limited by tech weakness amid some confusion after the Pentagon added several companies including Baidu, Cosco, BYD, Huawei, Nio, SMIC, Tencent, and more to a list of Chinese firms aiding the military on Friday, but then withdrew the updated list shortly after it was posted. Furthermore, price action was also restricted by the closure of mainland markets and the absence of stock connect flows, which will remain shut for more than a week.

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 -0.44% at 5,985, Dax 40 +0.20% at 24,903, FTSE 100 +0.42% at 10,446, CAC 40 -0.35% at 8,312, FTSE MIB -1.71% at 45,431, IBEX 35 -1.25% at 17,672, PSI -0.30% at 8,999, SMI +0.71% at 13,626, AEX +0.59% at 994

SECTORS: IT 1.29%, Industrials 1.04%, Healthcare 0.78%, Telecoms 0.11%, Energy 0.09%, Materials -0.12%, Consumer Stpl -0.24%, Utilities -0.37%, Consumer Disc -0.49%, Financials -1.69%

Housing names - UK Rightmove House Prices YY (Feb) 0.0% (Prev. 0.5%). “In the second half of 2025, uncertainty caused by rumours of property tax changes in November’s Budget swirled, some from as early as August. This had an impact on pricing and activity, as sellers tried to entice nervous buyers.”

OTHER UK COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Schroders (SDR LN) downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

Hapag-Lloyd (HLAG GY) - Co. is seeking to acquire an Israeli competitor. The management board confirmed negotiations regarding the potential acquisition of all shares in Zim Integrated Shipping Services Limited. (WSJ)

BROKER MOVES

Euronext (ENX FP) - Co. CEO announces that the Co. is open to mergers. (Euronext)

Safran (SAF FP) - Co. announced the establishment of a new manufacturing facility for landing-gear equipment within the Casablanca airport zone in Morocco, investment amounted to over EUR 280mln. (Safran)

Sanofi (SAN FP) - Co. 's Beyfortus study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases shows benefits for infants beyond the first RSV season. (Sanofi)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Nestle (NESN SW), Danone (BN FP) - The Paris public prosecutor has opened five investigations into baby milk brands distributed by multiple companies, including Nestle and Danone, after contamination with toxin cereulide. (Bloomberg)

Pirelli (PIRC IM) - Pirelli's largest shareholder Sinochem (holds a 34% stake), is considering selling a convertible bond to temporarily reduce its stake by 10-15%, Corriere della Sera reported. The move would aim to ease US government scrutiny of the Italian tiremaker, and would allow the Chinese state-backed group to regain the shares upon bond repayment at maturity. (Corriere della sera)

BROKER MOVES

Galderma (GALD SW) - Co. announced the appointment of Luigi La Corte as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective from May 1, 2026. (Galderma)

Roche (ROG SW) - Co. announces positive phase III results for Gazyva/Gazyvaro in primary membranous nephropathy, marking a significant milestone in autoimmune disease. (Roche)

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Ratos (RATOB SS) - Q4 2025 (SEK): 4.6bln (prev. 4.7bln Y/Y), EPS -5.32 (prev. 0.71 Y/Y), Adj. 346mln (prev. 220mln Y/Y); CEO adds that the Co. ended the year with a cautiously optimistic outlook, supported by satisfactory underlying earnings despite an overall cautious market.”. (Ratos)

BROKER MOVES

Kone (KNEBV FH) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank

Norsk Hydro (NHY NO) downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at Pareto

CLOSES: SPX +0.05% at 6,836, NDX +0.18% at 24,733, DJI +0.10% at 49,500, RUT +1.18% at 2,647

SECTORS: Communication Services -0.76%, Technology -0.52%, Consumer Discretionary -0.08%, Financials -0.07%, Consumer Staples +0.19%, Energy +0.55%, Industrials +0.83%, Health +1.01%, Materials +1.10%, Real Estate +1.48%, Utilities +2.69%.

Ford Motor (F) - Ford CEO discussed with senior Trump administration officials a potential framework allowing Chinese automakers to build cars in the US through JVs with US companies holding controlling stakes, Bloomberg reports. The proposed structure would involve shared profits and technology between Chinese and US partners. (Bloomberg)

Warner Bros (WBD), Paramount SkyDance (PKSY), Netflix (NFLX) - Warner Bros. is considering reopening sale talks with Paramount after receiving its most recent amended offer, Bloomberg reported citing sources. The WBD Board is discussing whether Paramount could offer a path to a superior deal and ignite a second bidding war with Netflix. (Bloomberg)