Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 8th October 2026

APAC stocks were mostly on the back foot following the negative handover from Wall St, where stock markets pulled back from recent record highs amid bond market volatility, while sentiment overnight was pressured as oil rebounded amid geopolitical risks after reports that the US military has been ordered to be ready for possible Iran strikes, with President Trump weighing the timing and could resume strikes before the Midterm elections, but with no decision made. ASX 200 was dragged lower as weakness in miners, materials and resources clouded over the gains in energy and resilience in defensives, while there was also an uptick in inflation expectations. Nikkei 225 retreated back beneath the 70,000 level as it continued to fade the recent tech-driven rally, while the TOPIX underperformed following the announcement that the Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to reduce the number of constituents in the index by about 40% to 986 stocks. KOSPI was pressured alongside indecision in Samsung Electronics shares following its preliminary Q3 earnings results, which showed operating profit surged 783% Y/Y, but missed the lofty expectations. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were subdued despite the resumption of trading in the mainland following a week-long hiatus, with pressure seen in tech stocks and sentiment was also not helped by trade frictions as the EU is said to be preparing a temporary import cap on Chinese hybrid cars.

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Prelim. Q3 (KRW): Operating Profit 107.4tln (exp. 108.7tln), Revenue 195tln (exp. 199tln).

Tencent (700 HK) - Co. is reportedly considering a USD 5bln bond offering as its AI push ramps up, Bloomberg reports. (Bloomberg)

TSMC (2330 TT) - Q3 Revenue TWD 1.49tln (exp. 1.46tln); Sept. Revenue 551.9bln (prev. 331bln Y/Y)

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 -1.40% at 6,184, Dax 40 -1.41% at 25,091, FTSE 100 -0.79% at 10,459, CAC 40 -1.22% at 7,769, FTSE MIB -2.51% at 49,972, IBEX 35 -1.68% at 19,118, PSI -0.92% at 9,334, SMI +0.14% at 13,808, AEX -0.94% at 1,118

Aberdeen Group (ABDN LN) - Co. announces the proposed sale of 52mln in Standard Life (SDLF LN), which represents around 5.2% of its 10.3% stake. (Aberdeen)

Antofagasta (ANTO LN) - Co. says that "despite the impacts typically associated with a strike, projected production ⁠remains unchanged." However, the unions say the strike will hit copper output in weeks. (Antofagasta)

Ex-Dividends - WPP (WPP LN), Barratt Redrow (BTRW LN) and Kingfisher (KGF LN) will trade without entitlement to their latest dividend. (dividenddata)

HSBC (HSBA LN) - South Korea Court upholds the lower court ruling that clears the bank of short-selling charges. (Chosun)

UK Jobs - KPMG/REC report on jobs shows that the index of permanent placements rose to 50.9 (prev. 50.5). Survey says "For the second month in a row we ⁠are seeing the jobs market starting to flicker back to life, with businesses increasing their hiring across both permanent and temporary roles." (KPMG/REC)

UK Housing - UK RICS House Price Balance (Sep) -32% vs. Exp. -30% (Prev. -28%). (RICS)

OTHER UK COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Babcock (BAB LN) initiated with Neutral at Goldman Sachs

Man Group (EMG LN) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citi

Volkswagen (VOW3 GY), Rivian (RIVN) - Rivian disclosed funding of a USD 1.0bln, 10yr term loan facility from Volkswagen Group under their existing JV agreement. The facility carries a 6.03% fixed annual interest rate, and is secured by Rivian’s 50% equity interest in the JV. (Rivian)

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

Suedzucker (SZU GY) - H1 2026 (EUR): Revenue 4.19bln (prev. 4.20bln Y/Y), Operating EBITDA 303mln (prev. 189mln Y/Y). Raises its FY26 revenue to between EUR 8.3-8.7bln (prev. guided 8.1-8.5bln) and operating EBITDA between EUR 540-680mln (prev. guided 480-680mln). Co. says its sugar segment revenue declined due to further decreases in sugar prices and lower sales volumes. (Suedzucker)

BROKER MOVES

Continental (CON GY) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Societe Generale

Airbus (AIR FP) - Bangladesh Airlines has signed a firm order for 10 Airbus aircraft. The order includes four A350-900 widebody and six A321neo single-aisle aircraft. (Airbus)

Air Liquide (AI FP) - Co. announces a new investment to build and operate a new Air Separation Unit and its related infrastructure at its existing Fairfield Facility located in New South Wales, Australia. The unit is expected to start up in 2028. (PR Newswire)

Euronext (ENX FP) - Italy is reportedly considering buying Euronext's 63% share of MTS, the European bond-trading platform, in a deal that is valued around EUR 600mln, Bloomberg reports. The report adds that this acquisition would help preserve national oversight of Italy's debt. Elsewhere, Euronext reports September equity derivatives volume +84.2% M/M and +31% Y/Y. (Bloomberg/Euronext)

Michelin (ML FP) - Co. Resin unit is investing in a new industrial production line for a strategic bio-based molecule as part of its DragonFly project, located at Ajinomoto’s industrial site in Nesle, France. (Michelin)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

Alstom (ALO FP), Rheinmetall (RHM GY) - Alstom is reportedly withdrawing from locomotive manufacturing in Kessel and is offering affected employees the prospect of continued employment with Rheinmetall, Frankfurter Rundschau reports. (Frankfurter Rundschau)

Christian Dior (CDI FP) - Co. has replaced two independent board members ahead of a change of shareholding structure. (Christian Dior)

Gaztransport Et Technigaz (GTT FP) - GTT Energy announces that it has received an order from Jiangnan shipyard for the tank design of two new LNG Carriers, to be delivered in Q1'30. (GTT)

OPmobility (OPM FP) - Co. lowers its 2026 operating margin to EUR 430-450mln and FCF "above" EUR 220mln. Co. adds that 770 jobs will be cut in Europe to address excess industrial capacity and adapt to market needs, which will lead to the closure of two R&D facilities in France and a parts plant in Germany. Co. cites lower global auto production forecasts, customer activity adjustments in Europe and delays in the hydrogen mobility market as the reasoning for lowering targets. (OPmobility)

BROKER MOVES

Amundi (AMUN FP) downgraded to Reduce from Add from AlphaValue

Argenx (ARGX BB) - Co. announces positive topline results from the Phase 2 study evaluating FB102, in adults with celiac disease, meeting its primary endpoint, while also announcing that it will discontinue the Phase 3 UNITY study of efgartigimod subcutaneous in adults with moderate-to-severe Sjögren's disease. (Argenx)

CVC Capital Partners (CVC NA) - Co., alongside Goldman Sachs (GS), have submitted an offer to invest in ITP Aero, valued at over EUR 5.5bln, El Confidencial reports. (El Confidencial)

EU-China - China has rejected an EU request to voluntarily restrict exports of hybrid cars to Europe as the EU now hopes to get China to accept a unilateral EU measure to cap hybrid imports, the FT reports. (FT)

Galp Energia (GALP PL), Equinor (EQNR NO) - Cos have been awarded an offshore oil block in Brazil's Santos Basin, with Galp stating it will own a 30% stake in the block, while Equinor will own the remainder and act as the operator. (Newswires)

BROKER MOVES

Richemont (CFR SW), Swatch (UHR SW) - US President Trump says that if the US didn't buy Swiss watches anymore, it would save USD 40bln. (Newswires)

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

Sonova Holding (SOON SW) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs

ALK-Abello (ALKB DC) - Co. raises its FY26 revenue growth guidance to between 16-17% in local currencies (prev. guided 14-16%) and EBIT margin to "around" 27% (prev. guided 26%). The upgrade reflects strong growth momentum in tablet sales across regions. (ALK-Abello)

Bavarian Nordic (BAVA NO) - Co. raises its FY26 guidance to reflect stronger-than-expected performance in its Travel Health business. Now sees Revenue from Travel Health to "approx" DKK 3.4bln (prev. guided "approx" DKK 3bln). All other revenue assumptions remain unchanged. (Bavarian Nordic)

Zealand Pharma (ZEAL DC) - Co. announces positive Phase 2 ZUPREME-2 topline results for amylin analog petrelintide in people with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes, with the trial meeting its primary endpoint. Petrelintide achieved up to 9.2% mean body weight reduction at week 28 versus 2.0% with placebo. (Zealand Pharma)

BROKER MOVES

Hiab (HIAB FH) downgraded to Hold from Buy at DNB Markets

Yara International (YAR NO) upgraded to Hold from Sell at SEB

CLOSES: SPX -0.27% at 7,798, NDX -0.21% at 31,160, DJI -0.66% at 51,179, RUT -1.27% at 2,794

SECTORS: Industrials -2.14%, Materials -1.53%, Real estate -1.35%, Energy -0.46%, Financials -0.44%, Technology flat, Communication services flat, Utilities flat, Consumer staples flat, Consumer discretionary +0.15%, Health +1.06%.