Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 27th May 2026

ASIA

APAC stocks were predominantly higher following the mostly positive lead from Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq printed fresh record highs amid outperformance in tech, while markets remain hopeful of a US-Iran agreement despite the recent limited US 'self-defence' strikes. ASX 200 eked mild gains with strength seen in tech and miners, but with the upside capped by losses in the top-weighted financial sector, while participants also digested softer-than-expected headline inflation. Nikkei 225 rose to a fresh record high above the 66,000 level as tech stocks continued to underpin the index, and with Services PPI data printing softer-than-expected. KOSPI outperformed and posted a new all-time high as SK Hynix rallied to surpass the USD 1tln market cap milestone, while Samsung Electronics was also boosted after union workers voted to accept the pay agreement. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp lagged following weak earnings results from Xiaomi, which reported a 43% drop in adjusted net in Q1 and with China expanding overseas travel curbs to its top AI talent in private firms, while there were also comments from USTR Greer that China expects a certain level of US tariffs we agreed to and that US tariffs on Chinese goods will likely always be higher than for other countries.

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Co.'s union members have voted in favour of a compensation deal that will hand workers an average bonus of c. USD 340,000. The deal was signed after 74% of members voted in favour of the agreement. (Bloomberg) Shares rose by as much as 8% in Asian trade

TSMC (2330 TT) - Co. is to increase 3nm chip prices by 15% in H2, while another 10% increase is also possible next year. (AAStocks)

EUROPEAN CLOSES

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 -1.21% at 6,063, Dax 40 -0.84% at 25,180, FTSE 100 +0.26% at 10,493, CAC 40 -1.03% at 8,173, FTSE MIB -0.60% at 49,922, IBEX 35 -0.47% at 18,300, PSI -0.31% at 9,196, SMI +0.22% at 13,533, AEX -1.05% at 1,042.

SECTORS: Materials 0.62%, Utilities 0.51%, Financials -0.47%, Energy -0.64%, Industrials -0.73%, Healthcare -0.78%, Consumer Stpl -0.80%, Consumer Disc -1.19%, IT -1.22%, Telecoms -1.28%

FTSE 100

BP (BP/ LN) - Ousted Chairman Manifold disputes entirely the characterisation of his conduct, calling it a false narrative. This comes as the Chair was unexpectedly ousted on Tuesday due to "serious concerns related to governance standards, oversight and conduct". (Bloomberg)

UK Autos - France has signalled that the EU could allow UK-made vehicles to qualify for "Made in Europe" subsidies, the FT reports. (FT)

UK Defence - UK PM Starmer is poised to unveil a multi-billion-pound package to boost the UK defence industry and armed forces next week; plan is expected to be backed by GBP 18bln of government funding, The i Paper reports. (The i Paper)

OTHER UK COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Auto Trader (AUTO LN) upgraded to Buy from Add at Peel Hunt

Cranswick (CWK LN) upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC

Melrose Industries (MRO LN) downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at BNP Paribas

DAX

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

CAC

Airbus (AIR FP) - China has reportedly been stalling the approval of Airbus plane deliveries to signal impatience with how long European regulators are taking to certify Chinese-made aircrafts, Bloomberg reports. Elsewhere, the Co. sees an opportunity to build helicopters in Canada if it wins upcoming government contracts. (Bloomberg)

Capgemini (CAP FP) - Co. affirms FY26 outlook and unveils FY28 targets. Co. targets 2025-28 revenue CAGR between 5.5-7.5% and adj. operating profit margin between 12.1-12.3% by 2028. (Capgemini)

Pernod Ricard (RI FP) - Indian investigators have reportedly concluded that the Co. withheld the age and composition of its Scotch Whiskey imports to hide their true value and pay lower tariffs. The Co. is challenging the investigation in court. (Newswire)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

Eurazeo (RF FP) - Co. has acquired a majority stake in Babylon, an integrated aparthotel operating platform; no terms disclosed. (Eurazeo)

Sopra Steria (SOP FP) - Co. launches EUR 40mln share buyback programme. (Sopra Steria)

BROKER MOVES

PAN EUROPE

European Autos - New-vehicle registrations rose to 1.15mln, +7% M/M. Car sales climbed for the third consecutive month, with EV deliveries rising 38%. EV sales in Germany jumped 41%, following the implementation of a new subsidy. (Bloomberg)

BROKER MOVES

Ferrovial (FER SM) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citi

SMI

ABB (ABBN SW) - Co. has been selected to support automation at Longxiang Hengyu Chemical site. (ABB)

Roche (ROP SW) - Co. announced the launch of its comprehensive Liver Disease Panel, a suite of certified algorithms designed to help clinicians better identify and manage chronic liver disease (CLD). (Roche)

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

SCANDINAVIA

BROKER MOVES

Sampo Oyj (SAMAS FH) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays

US

CLOSES: SPX +0.61% at 7,519, NDX +1.76% at 30,001, DJI -0.23% at 50,467, RUT +1.79% at 2,921

SECTORS: Energy -2.80%, Consumer Staples -1.74%, Health -1.02%, Financials -0.15%, Utilities -0.03%, Consumer Discretionary +0.13%, Real Estate +0.39%, Communication Services +0.86%, Materials +1.35%, Industrials +1.48%, Technology +1.69%.

JD.com (JD), Ceconomy (CEC GY) - EU is set to open an in-depth probe into JD.com's takeover of Ceconomy, the FT reports. (FT)

Nvidia (NVDA) - Taiwan prosecutors reportedly suspect three individuals of successfully smuggling at least one shipment of Nvidia's AI chips to China after first exporting the shipment to Japan, Bloomberg reports. (Bloomberg)

SpaceX (SPCX), Tesla (TSLA) - CEO Musk has reportedly discussed with colleagues about the possibility of a SpaceX-Tesla merger, CNBC reports. Employees within Tesla say they have long expected a merger to take place eventually and the topic is being openly discussed internally. (CNBC)

US-China Trade - USTR Greer said the reduced tariffs on USD 30bln in Chinese goods won't swing supply chains back to China, adding that US tariffs on Chinese goods will likely always be higher than for other countries. (Newswires)