Newsquawk Daily European Equity Opening News - 3rd November 2026

ASIA APAC stocks traded mixed following the continued tech rout stateside, where most major indices were negative, and the Nasdaq 100 dipped into a correction, although the majority of US sectors finished in the green and oil prices slumped 8% due to hopes for diplomacy, while demand was contained overnight amid the holiday closure in Japan and cautiousness heading into the US midterm elections. ASX 200 was indecisive heading into the RBA announcement, but finished in the green after the central bank hiked rates as expected, with the decision made by 6-3 votes, while it remained hawkish but stopped short of signalling a December hike. KOSPI underperformed following the tech rout stateside and despite the softer-than-expected CPI data, which printed 2.8% vs exp. 2.9%, but remained above the central bank's medium-term target. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp traded mixed despite authorities launching a renewed effort to stabilise the stock market, including measures to boost liquidity, cut rates for share buy-back loans and ease curbs on leveraged trading. EUROPEAN CLOSES CLOSES: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.78% at 6,179, Dax 40 +0.64% at 25,983, FTSE 100 +0.29% at 10,761, CAC 40 +0.98% at 8,048, FTSE MIB +0.90% at 49,948, IBEX 35 +1.71% at 18,972, PSI -0.26% at 9,252, SMI -0.04% at 14,804, AEX -0.17% at 1,133 FTSE 100 Barclays (BARC LN) - Co. strengthens its review process to identify client exposure to rising flood risks, using internal modelling to assess different scenarios and applying enhanced scrutiny to areas with elevated flood risk. (Bloomberg) Shell (SHEL LN) - Co. agrees to sell its North West Shelf stake to XRG for USD 1.45bln. (Shell) OTHER UK COMPANIES BROKER MOVES DAX Bayer (BAYN GY) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Sales 10.05bln (exp. 9.98bln), Adj. EBITDA 1.62bln (exp. 1.42bln), Adj. EBITDA margin 16.1% (exp. 14.2%). Guides FY26 Adj. EBITDA between 9.8-10.3bln (exp. 9.82bln, prev. guided 9.6-10.1bln) and negative FCF between 0.5-1.5bln (exp. 1.61bln, prev. guided 1.5-2.5bln). Raising guidance due to performance in the pharmaceutical division. (Bayer) Shares are indicated higher by 2.7% on Tradegate Fresenius Medical Care (FME GY) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Revenue 4.94bln (exp. 4.92bln), Adj. EBIT 545mln (exp. 530.8mln), Net Profit 160mln (exp. 158mln). FY26 guidance, reaffirms broadly flat revenue growth and narrows operating income growth outlook to between flat and a mid-single-digit percentage decline (prev. guided remaining on a consistent level). (Fresenius Medical Care) Shares are indicated lower by 2.8% on Tradegate Zalando (ZAL GY) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Revenue 3.17bln (exp. 3.16bln), GMV 4.54bln (prev. 4.22bln Y/Y), Adj. EBIT 106.5mln (exp. 103.7mln). Reaffirms FY26 guidance for GMV and revenue growth in the lower half of the 12-17% range and adj. EBIT of EUR 680-720mln. CEO: “Our shift to a platform business model is accelerating, with our partner business and retail media growing at a double-digit rate and B2B revenue up almost 28%.” (Zalando) Shares are indicated lower by 2.6% on Tradegate OTHER GERMAN COMPANIES Evonik (EVK GY) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Sales 3.83bln (exp. 3.66bln), Adj. EBITDA 629mln (exp. 593.2mln). Specifies FY26 adj. EBITDA guidance of EUR 2.0-2.2bln, and is confident of achieving the upper half of the range. Raises ROCE guidance to above 8% (prev. guided slightly above FY25 level of 6.1%) and reaffirms FCF guidance of c. EUR 850mln. (Evonik) Hugo Boss (BOSS GY) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Sales 946mln (exp. 924.5mln), EBIT 81mln (prev. 95mln Y/Y). Lowers FY26 guidance, currency-adjusted Group sales now expected to decline by a high-single-digit percentage (prev. mid-to-high single-digit decline), while EBIT is seen at EUR 250-300mln (prev. 300-350mln), reflecting weaker consumer demand assumptions and higher non-cash depreciation and amortisation expenses for IT assets amid rapid AI and technology developments. (Hugo Boss) Shares are indicated lower by 2.6% on Tradegate Lufthansa (LHA GY) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Revenue 12.24bln (exp. 12.12bln), EPS 1.05 (exp. 0.87), Adj. EBIT 1.41bln (exp. 1.38bln), Net Income 1.26bln (exp. 1.04bln). Expects FY26 fuel bill at EUR 9.3bln and cuts its adj. EBIT forecast to EUR 1.7-2bln (prev. guided 1.7-2.2bln). CEO: “With rising revenues amid consistently high demand and strict cost discipline, we were able to more than offset the increase in fuel costs of approximately half a billion euros.” (Lufthansa) Schaeffler (SHA0 GY) - 9M 2026 (EUR): Revenue 17.48bln (prev. 17.67bln Y/Y), Adj. EBIT 794mln (prev. 746mln Y/Y). Confirms FY26 guidance. Announces that the Co. will cut 3,460 jobs in Europe and close four German sites. (Schaeffler) BROKER MOVES MTU Aero (MTX GY) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA CAC OTHER FRENCH COMPANIES Rubis (RUI FP) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Revenue 2.25bln (prev. 1.56bln Y/Y), Distributed volume 1.74bln (prev. 1.62bln Y/Y). Reaffirms FY26 guidance. (Rubis) BROKER MOVES Alstom (ALO FP) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan Alstom (ALO FP) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citi PAN EUROPE Fastned (FAST NA) - Co. raises EUR 27mln in final bond issue, bringing total new investment to EUR 92mln in 2026. (Fastned) Grifols (GRF SM) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Revenue 2.04bln (exp. 1.97bln), Adj. EBITDA 538mln (exp. 515.8mln). On track to meet its FY26 guidance. (Grifols) Italy Autos - October new car registrations rose 4.8% Y/Y to 131,921 vehicles, while January-October registrations increased 8.3% Y/Y to 1.4mln units. (Newswires) Lottomatica (LTMC IM) - 9M 2026 (EUR): Revenue 1.72bln (prev. 1.64bln Y/Y), Adj. EBITDA 665.5mln (prev. 617.3mln Y/Y). Confirms FY26 guidance. (Lottomatica) Philips (PHIA NA) - Q3 2026 (EUR): Sales 4.4bln (exp. 4.41bln), Adj. EBITA Margin 13% (exp. 11.9%), Adj. EBITA 569mln (exp. 522mln). Reiterates FY26 outlook. CEO: “We delivered an excellent 8% comparable order intake, led by broad-based order momentum in Diagnosis & Treatment, and 3% comparable sales growth in the third quarter, led by Personal Health and Connected Care. We are executing our plan to accelerate profitable growth, with strong customer demand for our latest AI-enabled innovations.” (Philips) Shares are indicated higher by 2.8% on Tradegate Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI AV) - Q3 2026 (EUR): NII 1.16bln (prev. 1.11bln Y/Y), Net Income 481mln (prev. 565mln Y/Y), Pretax Profit 639mln (prev. 704mln Y/Y), Operating Result 798mln (prev. 832mln Y/Y). Guides FY26 NII above 4.5bln and net fee and commission income above 2.2bln. (Raiffeisen Bank International) BROKER MOVES SMI Geberit (GEBN SW) - 9M 2026 (CHF): Sales 2.54bln (prev. 2.45bln Y/Y), EBITDA 778mln (prev. 753mln Y/Y), Net Income 529mln (prev. 494mln Y/Y). Reaffirms FY26 guidance for net sales growth of 5-6% in local currencies and an EBITDA margin around the prior-year level. (Geberit) Lonza (LONN SW) - Co. agrees to acquire five US CDMO manufacturing sites from Merck KGaA (MRK GY) for a total enterprise value in the low-to-mid hundreds of millions of CHF. (Lonza) OTHER SWISS COMPANIES Clariant (CLN SW) - Q3 2026 (CHF): Sales 968.8mln (exp. 920.7mln), Adj. EBITDA 93mln (exp. 158.1mln). Keeps FY26 guidance unchanged, with a strong order book into the end of 2026. (Clariant) BROKER MOVES SCANDINAVIA Coloplast (COLOB DC) - Q4 2025/26 (DKK): Revenue 7.46bln (exp. 7.4bln), Net Income 1.19bln (exp. 1.56bln), Adj. EBIT 1.85bln (exp. 2bln). FY: Revenue 28.94bln (prev. 27.87bln Y/Y), Adj. EBIT 7.45bln (prev. 7.67bln Y/Y). Guides FY2026/27 organic revenue growth of 5-7%, reported revenue growth of 7-9% in DKK and EBIT margin of c. 25%. Expects DKK 200mln in special items related to its 'Funding the Journey' programme. Revises 2030 financial ambitions to annual organic revenue growth of 5-7% (prev. guided 7-8%), EBIT margin in the mid-20% range (prev. guided in line with or above revenue growth over the period) and ROIC of c. 20% by FY2029/30. Commentary: Expects continued Chronic Care momentum, mid-to-high single-digit growth in Interventional Urology and a return to Biologics growth from Q2, while inflation, Portugal ramp-up costs and higher investment weigh on margins. (Coloplast) SalMar (SALM NO) - Q3 2026 (NOK): Revenue 8.66bln (exp. 9.38bln), Operational EBIT 1.61bln (exp. 1.5bln). Guides 2026 harvest volume at 347k tonnes with 2027 total harvest volume of 348k tonnes. For Q4, Co. expects slightly lower value chain costs Q/Q, while Norwegian harvest volumes are anticipated to decline Y/Y. (SalMar) Telenor (TEL NO) - Swedish Competition Authority approves Telenor Sverige's acquisition of a controlling stake in Bahnhof. (Telenor) BROKER MOVES US CLOSES: SPX -0.51% at 7,541, NDX -1.39% at 27,990, DJI +0.41% at 51,989, RUT -0.21% at 2,806 SECTORS: Consumer Discretionary +2.25%, Materials +1.83%, Financials +1.76%, Consumer Staples +1.75%, Industrials +1.37%, Real Estate +1.02%, Utilities +0.53%, Health -0.17%, Communication Services -0.21%, Technology -2.66%, Energy -3.97% Apple (AAPL) - Apple shares fell 2.5% in extended US trading as surging memory chip prices and rising AI-related costs impact profit margins, while it also reported weaker-than-expected services growth guidance overshadowing strong quarterly revenue and an upbeat holiday sales outlook. Q4 EPS 2.10 (exp. 1.99), Q4 revenue USD 114.5bln (exp. 113.4bln). Net income USD 30.7bln (exp. 29bln), operating income USD 35.6bln (exp. 34.6bln) and operating expenses USD 19.2bln. Gross margin 47.9%, including a 100bps benefit from tariff refunds. Products revenue USD 82.90bln (exp. 81.85bln), iPhone revenue USD 57.58bln (exp. 56.49bln), Services revenue USD 31.57bln (exp. 31.58bln), Mac revenue USD 10.79bln (exp. 9.70bln), iPad revenue USD 6.23bln (exp. 6.89bln) and Wearables, Home & Accessories revenue USD 8.30bln (exp. 9.00bln). Americas revenue USD 48.68bln (exp. 48.51bln), Greater China revenue USD 17.54bln (exp. 18.75bln). Declared quarterly dividend of 0.27/shr. CEO Ternus highlighted record September-quarter iPhone revenue and all-time high Services revenue, with an installed base exceeding 2.5bln active devices. Sees Q1 revenue growth between 7-10% Y/Y, Services revenue growth between 8-9% Y/Y, gross margin between 45-46% (vs 47.9% in Q4), operating expenses between USD 20.4-20.8bln. CFO noted Q1 operating expense growth between 11-13% Y/Y, driven primarily by increased R&D investment, particularly in AI. Celanese (CE) - Q3 adj. EPS 1.65 (exp. 1.56), Q3 revenue USD 2.6bln (exp. 2.62bln). Management expects cumulative free cash flow to exceed USD 1.5bln over 2025-2026, and divestiture proceeds to reach approximately USD 650mln by year-end 2026, towards its USD 1bln target by end-2027. Expects seasonal moderation in Q4. Sees FY26 adj. EPS between 6.00-6.25 (exp. 6.00); raises FY26 free cash flow outlook, sees FY26 free cash flow between USD 750-800mln. Expects FY26 year-end net debt-to-operating EBITDA of approximately 4.7x, reflecting continued deleveraging through cash generation and targeted divestitures. ON Semiconductor (ON) - Q3 adj. EPS 0.90 (exp. 0.88), Q3 revenue USD 1.72bln (exp. 1.70bln). AI data centre revenue +175% Y/Y and +39% Q/Q, driven by accelerating demand for power management solutions. CEO highlighted strong demand across AI data centre and industrial markets, with revenue, gross margin and EPS exceeding the midpoint of company guidance. Announced an agreement to acquire Ferric for USD 600mln in cash, plus up to USD 175mln in contingent consideration, strengthening its power delivery capabilities for next-gen AI processors. The transaction is expected to close by year-end 2026, with no meaningful near-term financial impact. Sees Q4 adj. EPS between 0.88-1.00 (exp. 0.96), sees Q4 revenue between USD 1.715-1.815bln (exp. 1.74bln); raises its 2030 AI data centre revenue target by USD 500mln to more than USD 3bln, reflecting the expected contribution from Ferric and accelerating demand for advanced AI power solutions. Oracle (ORCL) - Oracle prices its USD 10bln share offering at USD 116/shr, an 11% discount to Friday’s closing price of USD 130.67. Palantir Technologies (PLTR) - Palantir shares fell 4.8% in extended trading, with reports citing elevated investor expectations, and a sharp slowdown in US commercial contract growth, which offset stronger-than-expected quarterly results, robust AI demand and accelerating free cash flow generation. Q3 adj. EPS 0.44 (exp. 0.41), Q3 revenue USD 2.31bln (exp. 2.18bln). Adj. operating income USD 1.43bln (exp. 1.3bln), adj. free cash flow USD 1.216bln, representing a 53% margin. US commercial revenue surpassed US government revenue for the first time, although US commercial total contract value growth slowed to +11% Y/Y to USD 1.46bln (vs +153% Y/Y growth in Q2). CEO Karp highlighted accelerating demand for sovereign AI and the increasing adoption of Palantir's AI software among commercial and government customers. Sees Q4 revenue between USD 2.649-2.653bln (exp. 2.46bln), Q4 adj. operating income between USD 1.64-1.644bln (exp. 1.45bln); raises FY26 outlook, sees FY26 revenue between USD 8.530-8.534bln (exp. 8.21bln), FY26 adj. operating income between USD 5.245-5.249bln (exp. 4.92bln), FY26 US commercial revenue exceeding USD 3.559bln, representing growth of at least 143%, and FY26 adj. free cash flow between USD 4.8-5.0bln.