Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 26th August 2026

ASIA APAC stocks were mostly in the green following the gains on Wall Street, where sentiment was underpinned amid Strait of Hormuz optimism, lower oil prices and a drop in yields, while participants await NVIDIA earnings. ASX 200 traded lower following another deluge of earnings releases and hotter-than-expected CPI data, while Construction Work disappointed with a surprise contraction, feeding into next week's GDP release. Nikkei 225 declined at the open following the firmer-than-expected Services PPI data, but then gradually rebounded and returned to above the 66,000 level. KOSPI saw two-way trade, but ultimately outperformed, with the price moves in the index largely driven by tech heavyweights, which were initially choppy. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were underpinned as participants digested a deluge of earnings, and with Alibaba shares supported after its founder Jack Ma bought more than HKD 600mln of the Co.’s Hong Kong-listed shares over two consecutive days, signalling confidence in its long-term AI prospects. SoftBank (9984 JT) - Co. mulls up to USD 20bln bond sale for OpenAI financing, according to Bloomberg. (Bloomberg) EUROPEAN CLOSES CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.15% at 6,458, Dax 40 +0.68% at 26,285, FTSE 100 +0.29% at 10,886, CAC 40 -0.16% at 8,439, FTSE MIB +0.34% at 52,721, IBEX 35 -0.21% at 20,057, PSI +0.57% at 9,445, SMI +0.54% at 14,525, AEX -0.15% at 1,108. FTSE 100 FTSE 100 - The latest indicative quarterly review changes have been announced: easyJet (EZJ LN) and Ithaca Energy (ITH LN) are set to join the FTSE 100, whilst Entain (ENT LN) and Persimmon (PSN LN) are to be removed. Note: Confirmed rebalance changes will be announced after market close on Wednesday 2nd September 2026. (LSEG) UK Housing - UK PM Burnham looks at giving mayors in England the authority to suspend the “right to buy” policy and block the sale of council homes, according to FT. (FT) OTHER UK COMPANIES FTSE 250 - The latest indicative quarterly review changes have been announced: Entain (ENT LN), Persimmon (PSN LN), Pinewood Technologies (PINE LN), Seraphim Space Investment (SSIT LN) and Volex (VLX LN) are to join the FTSE 250. Aston Martin (AML LN), easyJet (EZJ LN), GB Group (GBG LN) and Ithaca Energy (ITH LN) are to be removed. Note: Confirmed rebalance changes will be announced after market close on Wednesday 2nd September 2026. (LSEG) BROKER MOVES DAX Qiagen (QIA GY) - CTFN reports that two suitors of Qiagen have started due diligence as sale process advances, as part of its moleculor diagnostics strategic review. (CTFN) OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES Aroundtown (AT1 GY) - H1 2026 (EUR): Net Rental Income 591mln (prev. 591mln Y/Y), FFOI 144mln (prev. 150mln Y/Y). Confirms guidance. (Aroundtown) BROKER MOVES E.ON (EOAN GY) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Berenberg SAP (SAP GY) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS CAC BNP Paribas (BNP FP) - Co. and KB Financial's (105560 KS) KB Kookmin are in talks for a USD 2bln Vietnam Techombank stake, Reuters reports citing sources. (Reuters) Technip Energies (TE FP) - Co. selected by L&T for a significant engineering services contract for ADNOC Offshore in the UAE. (Technip Energies) OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES BROKER MOVES Aeroports de Paris (ADP FP) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank PAN EUROPE Banco BPM (BAMI IM) - Board acknowledges receipt of unsolicited offer from MPS; Board will evaluate offer, says offer is an acquisition, not a merger. (Banco BPM) BROKER MOVES Ferrovial (FER SM) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS SMI SoftwareOne (SWON SW) - H1 2026 (CHF): Group Revenue 818.3mln (exp. 813.1mln), +68.2% Y/Y. EBITDA 185.4mln (exp. 190mln), +5.2% Y/Y. Achieved CHF 100mln run-rate cost synergies, which is the high end of the group's target range. The company has identified additional synergy opportunities of approximately CHF 5-10 million, expected to be realized in H2 2026. (SoftwareOne) OTHER SWISS COMPANIES BROKER MOVES Tecan (TECN SW) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Oddo SCANDINAVIA Ambu (AMBUB DC) - Q3 2026 (DKK): Revenue 1.64bln (prev. 1.50bln Y/Y), EBIT 221mln (prev. 170mln Y/Y). Updates guidance: "We initially assumed a ~2%-pt tariff impact in FY 2025/26, but tariff refunds have reduced the expected headwind, supporting the upper end of our 12-14% EBIT margin guidance. We continue to mitigate future tariff exposure through measures, including investments in the America". (Ambu) Aker BP (AKRBP NO) - Co. has started production from the Skarv Satellites. The project has been executed efficiently, with production starting one year ahead of the original schedule. The developments represent approximately 120 million barrels of oil equivalent of recoverable resources and support further value creation by increasing flexibility and extending the life of the infrastructure around Skarv. (Aker BP) BROKER MOVES Ambu (AMBUB DC) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Nordea H&M (HMB SS) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Handelsbanken Konecranes (KCR FH) upgraded to Buy from Hold at SEB US CLOSES: SPX +0.30% at 7,676. NDX +0.64% at 29,209, DJI +0.30% at 53,577, RUT +0.48% at 3,009. SECTORS: Technology +0.98%, Communication Services +0.46%, Materials +0.36%, Health +0.33%, Utilities +0.21%, Financials +0.18%, Real Estate +0.10%, Consumer Discretionary -0.27%, Industrials -0.30%, Consumer Staples -0.87%, Energy -1.70%. Apple (AAPL) - The Trump administration is reportedly considering using Apple's request to purchase memory from blacklisted Chinese chipmaker CXMT as a diplomatic tool ahead of the planned Trump-Xi summit on 24th September, per a Weibo leaker cited by Wccftech. The reported plan would allow Apple to procure chips from both CXMT and YMTC, with purchased memory intended for products destined for the Chinese market rather than US devices. AppleInsider flagged significant scepticism, noting the story originates solely from an unverified Weibo account and has not been corroborated by any major publication. Digitimes also reported on the story. (Wccftech) Intuit (INTU) - Shares dropped over 10% in extended trading after its outlook disappointed, overshadowing a strong quarterly earnings and revenue beat. Q4 adj. EPS 4.03 (exp. 3.58), Q4 revenue USD 4.4bln (exp. 4.27bln). Global Business Solutions revenue +14% Y/Y to USD 3.4bln, Online Ecosystem revenue +17% Y/Y to USD 2.6bln and Consumer revenue +14% Y/Y to USD 930mln. Chairman/CEO said FY revenue surpassed USD 20bln, with the company’s Big Bets +34% Y/Y, representing 30% of FY26 revenue; remains focused on scaling its AI-driven expert platform and accelerating customer growth. Raises quarterly dividend 15% Y/Y to USD 1.38/shr. Sees Q1 adj. EPS between 2.44-2.48 (exp. 3.99), sees Q1 revenue between USD 4.29-4.31bln (exp. 4.36bln). For FY27, sees adj. EPS between 22.88-23.12 (exp. 27.30), and FY27 revenue between USD 23.28-23.51bln (exp. 23.72bln). INTU said that its FY27 adj. EPS guidance includes a 5.81 impact from share-based compensation expenses. Meta Platforms (META) - Meta and state attorneys general have discussed a potential mid-trial settlement of the teen social media harm lawsuit, Bloomberg reports. Several state attorneys general subsequently issued advisories announcing press conferences, with Nevada's AG signalling a "major consumer protection settlement involving a leading technology company." The federal trial in California covers claims by 29 states that Meta violated consumer protection laws and COPPA by collecting data from underage users without parental consent. (Bloomberg)