Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 19th May 2026

ASIA

APAC stocks traded mixed following the choppy performance in US peers as geopolitical headlines dominated price action stateside, while there was an announcement late in the session on Monday by President Trump that he instructed defence officials to hold off on a planned attack on Iran that was scheduled for Tuesday. The decision followed a request from Middle East allies as serious negotiations were said to be taking place, and they had the opinion that a deal will be made, which would be very acceptable to the US, although Trump added that he further instructed top defence officials and the military to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, if an acceptable deal is not reached. ASX 200 was led higher by notable strength in the consumer, telecom, real estate and financial sectors, while the minutes from the RBA's May meeting also noted that the board judged financial conditions would be somewhat restrictive after the May hike. Nikkei 225 swung between gains and losses as participants reflected on recent currency fluctuations, stronger-than-expected GDP data, and the potential ramifications for BoJ policy. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were rangebound with little fresh catalysts outside of geopolitics.

Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Samsung Electronics and its South Korean labour union are narrowing differences in talks aimed at averting what could become the company’s biggest-ever strike, Reuters reports. Industry observers estimate a strike could cost the South Korean economy up to KRW 100tln. The two sides is to resume talks on Tuesday afternoon, with two issues still unresolved. (Reuters)

EUROPEAN CLOSES

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.58% at 5,857, Dax 40 +1.24% at 24,248, FTSE 100 +1.26% at 10,324, CAC 40 +0.44% at 7,987, FTSE MIB -0.91% at 48,669, IBEX 35 +0.75% at 17,755, PSI +1.21% at 9,143, SMI +0.29% at 13,258, AEX +0.52% at 1,016

SECTORS: Energy 2.71%, Telecoms 2.44%, Utilities 2.01%, Consumer Stpl 1.21%, Financials 0.62%, Consumer Disc 0.50%, Industrials 0.48%, Healthcare -0.02%, Materials -0.07%, IT -1.15%

FTSE 100

BP (BP/ LN) - Contract negotiations at BP’s Whiting, Indiana, refinery (440k bpd) are reportedly unresolved, extending the lockout to three months, Reuters reports. The current impasse impacts around 800 workers, with the union raising concerns over possible job/pay cuts, management issues and the length of a proposed six-year agreement. Nonetheless, BP continues operations at the refinery. (Reuters / Traders Union).

Lloyds (LLOY LN) - Co. is preparing a US infrastructure investing push focused on sectors including data centres and green energy, the FT reports. The expansion would form part of the bank’s corporate and institutional business strategy and include lending to US companies and UK clients with US operations. (FT)

Standard Chartered (STAN LN) - Co. said it aims to cut corporate function roles by roughly 15% by 2030, while targeting RoTE above 15% in 2028 and about 18% in 2030. (Standard Chartered)

OTHER UK COMPANIES

Big Yellow Group (BYG LN) - FY 2026 (GBP): Revenue 209.1mln (prev. 204.5mln Y/Y), LFL Store Revenue 207.3mln (prev. 203.1mln Y/Y), Adj. Profit 117.5mln (prev. 115.6mln Y/Y), will continue to seek further reductions in store staff headcount. (Big Yellow Group)

BROKER MOVES

Barratt Redrow (BDRW LN) downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays

Bellway (BWY LN) downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays

DAX

Rheinmetall (RHM GY)- German armed forces are to place order for 2,030 trucks from the Co. for over EUR 1bln. (Newswires)

Volkswagen (VOW3 GY) - Co.'s Brazilian Unit Leader expresses concern about resale value due to Chinese competition. The Iranian conflict has had some impacts but not on the price of Volkswagen cars in Brazil. (Newswires)

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

Aixtron (AIXA GY) - Co. has been awarded multiple orders for G10-AsP MOCVD Systems from Lumentum (LITE) to support expansion of high-speed optical solutions for AI networks. (Aixtron)

Hapag-Lloyd (HLAG GY) - ZIM has approved a USD 4.2bln takeover by Hapag-Lloyd and FIMI Opportunity Funds, but businessman Haim Sakal and Israeli investors have made a rival all-cash USD 4.5bln bid, FreightWaves reports. The new offer reportedly includes a USD 250mln employee bonus package and pledges to keep the fleet and operational headquarters under Israeli control. (FreightWaves)

Nordex (NDX1 GY) - Nordex Group receives new orders totaling 82 MW from Westfälisch-Niedersächsische Energie WNE in Germany. (Nordex)

BROKER MOVES

Gerresheimer (GXI GY) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies

CAC

Sanofi (SAN FP) - Sanofi said efdoralprin alfa, dosed every three weeks, achieved mean increases in fAAT trough levels more than three times greater than plasma-derived protein dosed weekly, meeting the primary endpoint. Phase 2 data demonstrate the superiority of efdoralprin alfa over a standard-of-care augmentation therapy in achieving higher fAAT levels in AATD. (Sanofi)

Vinci (DG FP) - Co. strengthens its presence in Canada with the acquisition of Modern Group of Companies. (Vinci)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

Aeroports de Paris (ADP FP) - Reports April passenger traffic 29.1mln, -4.9% Y/Y. (ADP)

BROKER MOVES

PAN EUROPE

Defence, Leonardo (LDO IM) - The UK is reportedly preparing a multi-billion-pound injection of cash into the development of a stealth fighter jet with Japan and Italy, according to the FT. (FT)

Enel (ENEL IM) - Co. announced that it is to purchase seven US solar plants, with an overall capacity of around 270 MW. The deal is worth c. USD 140mln, including debt. (Reuters)

Leonardo (LDO IM), Leonardo DRS (DRS) - Leonardo DRS launched the Tenum 640 Orbit uncooled long-wave infrared thermal camera module for unmanned air, ground and maritime platforms. The company will debut the product at SOF Week in Florida. (Leonardo DRS)

UCB (UCB BB) - UCB announced Week 16 data from the BE BOLD trial demonstrating superior ACR50 joint outcomes at Week 16 for BIMZELX versus SKYRIZI in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. Bimekizumab met the primary endpoint of superiority in ACR50 at Week 16, achieved by 49.1% of patients receiving bimekizumab compared to 38.4% receiving risankizumab. (UCB)

BROKER MOVES

SMI

Roche (ROP SW) - Co. will present new data from nine approved and investigational medicines across more than 15 indications at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, held 29 May to 2 June in Chicago. Primary results from the persevERA study on the numerical improvement in progression-free survival observed with first-line giredestrant plus palbociclib in advanced, endocrine-sensitive disease. (Roche)

Sika (SIKA SW) - Co. opens large-scale mortar production plant in New Jersey, USA, servicing the major customer demand in major metropolitan areas. (Sika)

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

Bossard Holding (BOSN SW) - CFO Zehnder is to step down at the end of March 2027. (Bossard)

BROKER MOVES

Adecco (ADEN SW) downgraded to Sell from Neutral at UBS

SCANDINAVIA

Bakkafrost (BAKKA NO) - Q1 2026 (DKK): Revenue 2.11bln (exp. 2.37bln), Op. EBIT 544mln (exp. 487.5mln). Based on the strong biology, high biomass at sea and good growth in the Faroe Islands, we are increasing our 2026 harvest volume guidance from 92,000 tonnes to 97,000 tonnes. Consequently, we are also increasing the expected production of fish feed to 175,000 tonnes to support the higher biomass growth and harvest outlook. (Bakkafrost)

Evolution (EVO SS) - Co. to buy back shares for EUR 2bln. The purpose of the acquisition of own shares is to optimize the capital structure of the Company by reducing the share capital, thereby creating added shareholder value. The Company has simultaneously entered into a EUR 300mln revolving credit facility to maintain continued financial flexibility. (Evolution)

BROKER MOVES

US

CLOSES: SPX -0.08% at 7,403, NDX -0.45% at 26,091, DJI +0.32% at 49,686, RUT -0.61% at 2,776.

SECTORS: Energy +1.81%, Consumer Staples +1.34%, Financials +1.21%, Real Estate +1.14%, Health +0.42%, Communication Services +0.24%, Utilities +0.05%, Materials -0.14%, Consumer Discretionary -0.20%, Industrials -0.42%, Technology -0.97%.

Lockheed Martin (LMT) - The State Department approved potential military sales worth up to USD 4.2bln to South Korea; the package includes up to 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters (made by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky), along with navigation, sonar and related equipment. Separately, Lockheed received an USD 879.1mln Navy order for Lot 18-19 aircraft armament equipment supporting F-35 delivery schedules.

Nvidia (NVDA) - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told Bloomberg that he expects China to eventually allow imports of US AI chips; added that China must decide how much of its local market to protect, stating that his sense is that, over time, the market will open. (Bloomberg)