Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 4th August 2026

ASIA

APAC stocks traded mixed after the region failed to sustain the momentum from Wall Street, where all major indices rallied, and the Dow notched a record close amid lower oil prices and yields, following Trump's strike cancellation and touted US-Iran talks, while he even suggested they are discussing opening the Strait of Hormuz as soon as today. ASX 200 outperformed with the advances led by strength in tech and the top-weighted financial industry. Nikkei 225 wiped out early gains and dipped into negative territory with a lack of bullish catalysts overnight. KOSPI swung between gains and losses amid the choppy performances in its tech giants. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were mixed amid very few fresh catalysts and with China said to be growing anxious that Anthropic’s Mythos could be wielded against its economy, while better-than-expected HSBC earnings failed to inspire its shares in Hong Kong.

Toyota Motor (7203 JT) - Q1 (JPY): Net Profit 1.48tln (prev. 841.4bln Y/Y), Pretax Profit 1.96tln (prev. 1.25tln Y/Y), Revenue 13.5tln (prev. 12.3tln Y/Y), raises FY operating income to JPY 3.4tln (prev. guided JPY 3.0tln), announces a new share buyback of up to JPY 1tln. (Toyota Motor)

EUROPEAN CLOSES

CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +1.14% at 6,431, Dax 40 +1.59% at 26,036, FTSE 100 -0.10% at 10,858, CAC 40 +1.22% at 8,614, FTSE MIB +1.34% at 52,872, IBEX 35 +1.01% at 19,983, PSI +0.61% at 9,172, SMI +0.18% at 14,372, AEX +0.28% at 1,102

FTSE 100

HSBC (HSBA LN) - Q2 2026 (USD): Pretax Profit 10.1bln (exp. 9.5bln), Net Profit 7.69bln (exp. 7.36bln), approves second interim dividend of USD 0.10/shr, announces up to USD 1bln share buyback. FY26 Guidance: Expects banking NII of "at least" USD 46bln (prev. guided "around" 46bln), remains on track to deliver Y/Y growth in operating expenses of c. 1% in 2026. Remains confident in achieving RoTE of 17% or better for 2026/27/28, excluding notable items, and maintains dividend payout ratio target basis of 50% in 2026/27/28. (HSBC)

UK EV Registrations - BEV registrations rose 49% Y/Y, with a total of 43,547 new vehicles registered, according to New AutoMotive.

OTHER UK COMPANIES

Aston Martin (AML LN) - Co. creditors are threatening legal action against the Co. after challenging that the GBP 550mln debt-financing deal with HPS broke key terms of the Co.'s existing debt, the FT reports. (FT)

BROKER MOVES

J Sainsbury (SBRY LN) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman Sachs

Pearson (PSON LN) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs

Unite Group (UTG LN) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Goldman Sachs

DAX

Bayer (BAYN GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 10.87bln (exp. 10.69bln), EBITDA before Special Items 2.14bln (exp. 1.94bln), backs its FY26 view confirming 2026 outlook adjusted for currency changes. (Bayer)

Continental (CON GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 4.4bln (exp. 4.41bln), Adj. EBIT Margin 12.9% (exp. 12.3%), Adj. EBIT 570mln (exp. 540mln), Adj. FCF 216mln (exp. 117.2mln). Guides FY26 revenue between 13.2-14.2bln (exp. 17.9bln), Adj. EBIT Margin between 12-13.5%. Guidance excludes ContiTech due to planned sale. Says that while the European replacement-tire market for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles increased by 3% due to imports, the North American market declined by 1%. Global automotive production was also down approximately 1% Y/Y. CFO: “We significantly increased our profitability and free cash flow. The main drivers for Tires were a higher share of tires measuring 18 inches and above, lower impacts from exchange rates and tariffs, and positive effects from raw-material prices. For the second half of the year, however, we expect raw-material costs to increase substantially and have already taken steps to address this." (Continental)

Fresenius Medical Care (FME GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue EUR 4.86bln (exp. 4.78bln), Operating Income excluding special items 569mln (exp. 515mln), confirms FY26 outlook. (EQS)

Lufthansa (LHA GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 11.14bln (exp. 11.04bln), Adj. EBIT 383mln (exp. 408mln), Net Profit 123mln (exp. 327.6mln), sees FY26 adj. EBIT between 1.7-2.2bln (exp. 1.79bln, prev. guided "significantly higher" than 1.96bln). Says the primary driver of the earnings decline were fuel costs, which was EUR 750mln above the 2025 level. Adds that the financial outlook is subject to a heightened level of forecasting uncertainty due to short-term booking cycles in the passenger business, the uncertain geopolitical and macroeconomic environment and the uncertainty regarding the exact delivery dates of new aircraft. (Lufthansa)

Zalando (ZAL GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 3.42bln (exp. 3.47bln), Group GMV 4.92bln (prev. 4.07bln Y/Y), Adj. EBIT 204.8mln (prev. 185.5mln Y/Y), Net Income 73.8mln (prev. 96.6mln Y/Y). Guides FY26 GMV and revenue growth at the lower half of its 12-17% range and narrows Adj. EBIT guidance to between 680-720mln (prev. guided 660-740mln). CEO: “Our fast-scaling AI capabilities are already delivering measurable benefits in driving both growth and efficiency across B2C and B2B. Innovations like our AI-powered SCAYLE STUDIOS and the upgraded Zalando Assistant are fundamentally transforming how our partners operate and how our customers discover fashion.” (Zalando)

OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES

Evonik (EVK GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 3.89bln (exp. 3.82bln), Adj. EBITDA 630mln (prev. 509mln Y/Y), Adj. EBIT 370mln (prev. 250mln Y/Y) raises its FY26 Adj. EBITDA guidance to between 2-2.2bln (prev. guided 1.7-2bln). (Evonik)

Hugo Boss (BOSS GY) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 905mln (exp. 902.7mln), EBIT 59mln (exp. 52mln), Net Profit 33mln (exp. 27mln), reaffirms FY26 outlook. Sales by region: EMEA -13%, the Americas -1%, Asia/Pacific -5%. (Hugo Boss)

Nordex (NDX1 GY) - Co. secures three new orders in the US with a combined capacity of more than 480 MW. (EQS)

BROKER MOVES

Kontron AG (KTN GY) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Oddo Securities

CAC

Sanofi (SAN FP) - Co. announces that the European Commission has approved an extension of the indication for MenQuadfi to include infants from six weeks of age to help protect against invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, W, and Y. MenQuadfi was previously approved in the EU for use in individuals aged 12 months and older. (Sanofi)

OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES

BROKER MOVES

PAN EUROPE

Ferragamo (SFER IM) - H1 2026 (EUR): Revenue 468mln (prev. 474mln Y/Y), Gross Profit 324mln (prev. 321mln Y/Y), Gross EBITDA 90mln (prev. 73mln Y/Y). "While visibility on the macroeconomic environment remains limited, the Group is increasingly focused on the medium to long-term development of the business." (Ferragamo)

Italy New Car Registrations, Stellantis (STLAM IM/STLAP FP) - New car registrations rose to 123,184 vehicles in July, +3.9% Y/Y. Stellantis sales rose 3.8% Y/Y. (Reuters)

BROKER MOVES

BE Semiconductor (BESI NA) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Berenberg

Brunello Cucinelli (BC IM) initiated with Buy at Citi

SMI

OTHER SWISS COMPANIES

ams-OSRAM (AMS SW) - Q2 2026 (EUR): Revenue 805mln (exp. 788.6mln), Adj. EBITDA 136mln (prev. 145mln Y/Y), Adj. EPS -0.56 (prev. 0.18mln Y/Y), guides Q3 revenue between 770-870mln (exp. 799.8mln) and Adj. EBITDA margin of 16% +/- 1.5%. FY26 outlook unchanged. Says microLED-array based RGB light engines continued to achieve key development milestones for next-generation smart glasses, validating performance leadership and advancing step-by-step towards mass-production readiness. (ams-OSRAM)

Swiss Prime Site Solutions (SPSN SW) - Co. appoints Maximilian Hoffmann as Managing Director of Fundamenta Group Deutschland and Holzner as CIO of SPSS Investment Fund Commercial. (EQS)

BROKER MOVES

SCANDINAVIA

BROKER MOVES

Sampo Oyj (SAMAS FH) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan

US

CLOSES: SPX +1.48% at 7,601, NDX +1.78% at 28,777, DJI +1.32% at 53,183, RUT +1.73% at 2,982

SECTORS: Energy -1.23%, Consumer Staples -0.31%, Health -0.17%, Utilities +0.07%, Real Estate +0.26%, Financials +0.72%, Materials +1.24%, Technology +1.62%, Industrials +1.86%, Consumer Discretionary +2.68%, Communication Services +4.30%.

Onsemi (ON) - Shares rose 6% in extended trading after earnings and revenue topped expectations, and it raised its outlook for AI data centre sales. Q2 adj. EPS 0.74 (exp. 0.72), Q2 revenue USD 1.6bln (exp. 1.59bln). Revenue, gross margin and EPS were above the midpoint of guidance, supported by strengthening demand in AI-driven applications and adoption of Treo and high-voltage power solutions. Said AI data centre remains its fastest-growing business, and expects revenue from the segment to more than double in 2026. Onsemi sees Q3 adj. EPS between 0.81-0.93 (exp. 0.84), sees Q3 revenue between USD 1.65-1.75bln (exp. 1.67bln), sees Q3 gross margin between 40.0-42.0%, and sees Q3 operating expenses between USD 303-318mln.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) - Shares jumped almost 15% in extended trading after better than expected Q2 metrics, surging US commercial demand, and a raised FY outlook. Q2 adj. EPS 0.41 (exp. 0.35), Q2 revenue USD 1.935bln (exp. 1.81bln). Overall revenue rose 93% Y/Y, US commercial revenue +149% Y/Y (and +28% Q/Q), while US government revenue +90% Y/Y (+18% Q/Q); its Rule of 40 score reached 155%. Management cited accelerating demand for sovereign AI, and said its platform can orchestrate, fine-tune and switch between models while protecting enterprise data. Expects a significant increase in Q3 expenses due to seasonal new-hire starts and product and marketing initiatives. Sees Q3 revenue between USD 2.16-2.164bln (exp. 2bln), adj. operating income between USD 1.292-1.296bln. Raised FY26 revenue view to between USD 8.15-8.158bln (exp. 7.72bln; prev. saw 7.65-7.662bln), and sees US commercial revenue to more than USD 3.424bln, adj. operating income to between USD 4.889-4.897bln (prev. saw 4.44-4.452bln), and adj. FCF to between USD 4.5-4.7bln (prev. saw 4.2-4.4bln).