Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 9th September 2026

APAC stocks traded mixed as the region attempted to shrug off the weak lead from Wall Street, where all major indices declined on return from the long weekend amid rising oil prices and geopolitical escalation. ASX 200 was subdued as gains in energy, resources, mining and materials were offset by weakness in healthcare, financials and the consumer-related sectors. Nikkei 225 swung between gains and losses with few fresh catalysts and as further reports continued to point to a BoJ rate hike next week, while Nintendo was among the laggards after its Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct announcements underwhelmed. KOSPI resumed its regional outperformance and climbed above the 7,000 level with Samsung underpinned following several recent announcements and with SK Hynix unfazed by reports that Kioxia's CEO dismissed prospects of closer ties with the South Korean chipmaker. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed, with price action contained after the PBoC continued to refrain from open market operations and as participants digested the Chinese inflation data in which CPI matched estimates, but PPI was firmer-than-expected and showed an acceleration in factory gate prices.

Chinese Humanoids - The CSRC is reportedly tightening the approval for humanoid startups seeking to go public following the volatile debut of Unitree Robotics (688836 CH), the Information reports. (The Information)

Chinese Inflation - CPI (Aug YY) 0.8% vs. Exp. 0.8% (Prev. 0.5%); CPI (Aug MM) 0.4% vs. Exp. 0.3% (Prev. -0.1%); PPI (Aug YY) 3.8% vs. Exp. 3.7% (Prev. 3.5%).

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.14% at 6,413, DAX 40 -0.05% at 25,993, FTSE 100 -0.10% at 10,812, CAC 40 +0.14% at 8,318, FTSE MIB -0.10% at 52,177, IBEX 35 -0.12% at 19,997, PSI +0.66% at 9,481, SMI -1.55% at 14,058, AEX +0.06% at 1,116

AstraZeneca (AZN LN) - UK NICE recommends Imfinzi with platinum-based chemotherapy, then with or without olaparib for untreated advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer in adults. (NICE)

Revolut - Head of Revolut Business told the FT that the CEO believes corporate banking is a key growth opportunity as it targets securing 1mln business customers globally by 2027. (FT)

OTHER UK COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

AstraZeneca (AZN LN) initiated with Outperform at RBC

Autotrader (AUTO LN) initiated with Sell at Stifel Nicolaus

Burberry (BRBY LN) initiated with Hold at HSBC

Computacenter (CCC LN) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Investec

GSK (GSK LN) initiated with Sector Perform at RBC

Kingspan (KGP LN) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan

Rightmove (RMV LN) initiated with Sell at Stifel Nicolaus

Volkswagen (VOW3 GY) - Co. is exploring a strategic partnership with India's JSW Group, aiming to expand the carmakers portfolio in India, deepening local sourcing and strengthening manufacturing. (Economic Times)

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

Auto1 Group (AG1 GY) - Co. CFO is to step down from his position. (EQS)

BROKER MOVES

French Energy - Multiple union members tell Reuters that unions are preparing to strike next Tuesday over a July recommendation by France's Court of Auditors to limit wage growth and curb employee benefits. (Reuters)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

Vallourec (VK FP) - Co. announces the signing of an agreement with Aramco to further strengthen the Co's commercial, industrial, and technological ties. (Vallourec)

BROKER MOVES

LVMH (MC FP) downgraded to Hold from Buy at HSBC

Sanofi (SAN FP) initiated with Sector Perform at RBC

Adyen (ADYEN NA) - A Co. executive tells Reuters that the Co. plans to expand its India operations and hire more employees. The executive says they see India as a long-term growth market due to multinational clients entering India and Indian businesses expanding overseas. (Reuters)

CVC Capital Partners (CVC NA) - Co. has hired Sisitsky as co-CEO, joining in Q1'28, in preparation for the stepping down of the current CEO. Elsewhere, the Co. is reportedly looking to sell Arthea, valuing the platform at around USD 2bln, Reuters reports. (CVC/Reuters)

European Airlines - Multiple budget carriers have called for the overhaul of NATS, the UK's air traffic control provider, after a technical issue disrupted hundreds of flights. Wizz Air (WIZZ LN) says that NATS is simply not fit for purpose while Ryanair (RYA ID) called for the resignation of its CEO. (Reuters)

Inditex (IDX SM) - H1 2026 (EUR): Revenue 19.76bln (exp. 19.65bln), EBIT 3.84bln (exp. 3.92bln), Net Profit 2.98bln (exp. 3.05bln), Aug 1st-Sep 7th Store and Online Sales +9% Y/Y. Sees around -1% currency impact on sales in 2026 and expects stable gross margin. (Inditex)

Italian Banks - Italy's co-ruling League party says that Italian banks should contribute up to EUR 3bln to help the government fund tax cuts and spending hikes in next year's budget, pointing that a 5% tax on profits would produce the required funds. (Newswires)

BROKER MOVES

ASML (ASML NA) PT cut to EUR 1,700 from EUR 1,930 at Morgan Stanley, stating that near-term overhangs around China, capacity and margins are likely to constrain the multiple.

Holcim (HOLN SW) - Co. announces it has invested in Cloud Cycle to extend quality monitoring from the plant to the delivery site. (Holcim)

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

Avolta (AVOL SW) - Co. announces that it has further strengthened its partnership with Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) through long-term travel retail contract extensions across Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and Bajío International Airports in Mexico. (Avolta)

BROKER MOVES

Novartis (NOVN SW) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank

Novartis (NOVN SW) initiated with Sector Perform at RBC

Roche (ROP SW) initiated with Outperform at RBC

Evolution (EVO SS) - A 2022 report, that has been made public, revealed that the Co. had a “complete absence of any ongoing examination” to ensure its casino-operator clients blocked gamblers from playing in restricted markets. (Bloomberg)

Orsted (ORSTED DC) - Shareholder Andel Holding is looking to sell c. DKK 3bln worth of shares, bringing its stake to around 3.4% from 5%, Bloomberg reports. (Bloomberg)

BROKER MOVES

Coloplast (COLOB DC) downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JPMorgan

Vend Marketplaces (VEND NO) downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley

Kinnevik (KINVB SS) upgraded to Buy from Hold at SEB

Stora Enso (STERV FH) reiterated with Sell at Goldman Sachs

CLOSES: SPX -0.58% at 7,674, NDX -0.12% at 29,508, DJI -1.18% at 52,791, RUT -0.52% at 2,960

SECTORS: Healthcare -2.55%, Financials -1.43%, Materials -0.91%, Industrials -0.51%, Consumer Discretionary -0.49%, Consumer Staples -0.48%, Communications -0.29%, Technology -0.19%, Real Estate flat, Utilities +0.85%, Energy +1.01%.

Fox (FOXA), Roku (ROKU) - The US Justice Department is reportedly broadening its antitrust inquiry into Fox's USD 22bln acquisition of Roku, Semafor reports. (Semafor)