Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 8th April 2026

ASIA

APAC stocks rallied with markets euphoric and relieved after US President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran in the final hours before his Tuesday evening deadline. The ceasefire was proposed by Pakistan and is subject to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran was said to have agreed to, while the US and Iran are set to conduct talks on Friday in Islamabad. Furthermore, Israel and Lebanon were reported to be part of the ceasefire, although Israeli PM Netanyahu later denied that Lebanon was included. ASX 200 advanced with the gains led by outperformance in gold miners and tech, while energy was at the other end of the spectrum amid the slump in oil prices. Nikkei 225 rose above the 56,000 level with sentiment in Japan boosted by the lower oil prices, while participants also digested the firmer-than-expected wages data. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp joined in on the widespread risk-on mood amid the US-Iran ceasefire and as Hong Kong participants returned to the market following a five-day closure.

EUROPEAN CLOSES

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 -1.07% at 5,632, Dax 40 -0.99% at 22,938, FTSE 100 -0.84% at 10,349, CAC 40 -0.67% at 7,909, FTSE MIB -0.47% at 45,412, IBEX 35 -0.64% at 17,444, PSI -0.03% at 9,367, SMI -1.27% at 12,817, AEX -0.41% at 972

SECTORS: Telecoms 0.70%, Energy 0.49%, Utilities -0.36%, Materials -0.40%, Consumer Stpl -0.52%, Financials -0.59%, Industrials -1.42%, Consumer Disc -1.74%, Healthcare -2.16%, IT -2.57%

FTSE 100

OTHER UK COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Senior (SNR LN) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Panmure Gordon

DAX

Bayer (BAYN GY) - Executive says no change to 2026 guidance due to US pharmaceutical tariffs announced last week. (Newswires)

Henkel (HEN3 GY) - Co. is reportedly marketing 2-year and 5-year Panda CNY-denominated bonds. (Newswires)

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

Evotec (EVT GY) - Final FY 2025 (EUR): Revenue 788.4mln (prev. 810.4mln Y/Y), EBITDA 41.1mln (prev. 52.3mln Y/Y). Outlook: Revenue 700-780mln (exp. 785.1mln). (Evotec)

BROKER MOVES

CAC

Airbus (AIR FP) - Airbus Executive Vice President Wouter van Wersch said airlines may speed up retirement of older aircraft as higher oil prices improve the appeal of newer, more fuel-efficient jets. (Bloomberg)

Danone (BN FP) - Co. is reportedly working with Centerview bank over a potential takeover of Reckitt Benckiser's (RKT LN) Mead Johnson. (La Lettre)

Engie (ENGI FP) - Co. is accelerating the development of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), acquiring two projects in Spain totalling 278MW while also starting constructing of its first BESS facility in France, which will have a capacity of 110MW. (Engie)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

Alstom (ALO FP) - Co. has been awarded a five-year contract extension to operate and maintain the plane train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The contract extension is valued around EUR 140mln. (Alstom)

Eramet (ERA FP) - Co.'s largest shareholder, the Duval family, has reportedly hired bankers as it weighs the sale of its 37% stake in Eramet, FT reported citing sources. (FT)

Remy Cointreau (RCO FP) - Co. launches a transformation plan. Has decided to take an offensive approach by launching an ambitious transformation plan. This plan marks a decisive step forward, aimed at regaining momentum in its markets and maximising the potential of its brands. Will activate five strategic levers to drive growth, including strengthening distribution efficiency, enhancing revenue growth management, maximising A&P investment impact, optimising procurement, and simplifying its organisational structure. (Remy Cointreau)

Technip Energies (TE FP) - Co. has been awarded a substantial authorisation to advance Commonwealth LNG project in Louisiana. (Technip Energies)

BROKER MOVES

Spie (SPIE FP) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley

PAN EUROPE

Geopols - Broad risk on sentiment after the US and Iran agree to a conditional two-week ceasefire; Euro Stoxx 50 indicated higher by 4.3%. US President Trump announced he is to suspend the bombing of Iran for two weeks, subject to Iran opening up the Strait of Hormuz, while he stated that this will be a double-sided ceasefire. Trump confirmed they received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate, while he stated that almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the US and Iran. Iran accepted Pakistan's two-week ceasefire proposal, with the ceasefire approved by the Supreme Leader, while Iran said negotiations with the US will be held in Islamabad to finalise details and that talks are to begin on Friday, April 10th and may be extended if both sides agree.

Telefonica (TEF SM) - Co. informs about the sale of all the shares it holds in Pegaso PCS and Celular de Telefonia. The firm value for Telefonica Mexico is USD 450mln, and the corresponding price will be subject to the customary adjustments applicable to this type of transactions. (Telefonica)

UMG (UMG NA) - Co. confirmed that its Board of Directors received an unsolicited and non-binding proposal from Pershing Square Capital Management (PSH LN). (UMG)

BROKER MOVES

Dino Polska (DNP PW) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citi

SMI

UBS (UBSG SW) - Co. launches CHF stablecoin sandbox with PostFinance, Sygnum, Raiffeisen (RBI AV) and others. (UBS)

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

SCANDINAVIA

SKF (SKFB SS) - Co. consolidates its manufacturing footprint in Americas to strengthen operations. The factory in Monterrey, Mexico, will become redundant and manufacturing capacity will be relocated to strengthen SKF's Automotive operation in Puebla as well as its Industrial operation in La Silla, also located in the Monterrey area. (SKF)

BROKER MOVES

Tele 2 (TEL2B SS) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Nordea

US

CLOSES: SPX +0.08% at 6,617, NDX +0.04% at 24,202 , DJI -0.18% at 46,584, RUT +0.17% at 2,545

SECTORS: Consumer Staples -1.76%, Consumer Discretionary -0.91%, Materials -0.26%, Industrials -0.21%, Real Estate -0.08%, Financials +0.02%, Health +0.23%, Utilities +0.26%, Technology +0.35%, Energy +0.78%, Communication Services +1.04%.