logo
European shares jump to 4-month peak on US-EU trade deal

European shares jump to 4-month peak on US-EU trade deal

Reuters28-07-2025
July 28 (Reuters) - European shares advanced to a four-month high on Monday, led by gains in pharma and semiconductor stocks, after the EU signed a trade deal with the United States, avoiding steeper tariffs ahead of the August 1 deadline.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX), opens new tab rose 0.7% by 0815 GMT. Most regional bourses were also in the green, with Germany's blue-chip DAX (.GDAXI), opens new tab rising 0.6% and France's CAC 40 (.FCHI), opens new tab gaining 0.8%. UK's FTSE 100 (.FTSE), opens new tab added 0.1%.
The trade agreement imposes a 15% tariff on most EU goods and requires the bloc to invest around $600 billion in the U.S. Tariff rates on spirits are still under negotiation.
The deal "is positive for markets because it removes a lot of the uncertainty", said Anthi Tsouvali, multi-asset strategist at UBS Wealth.
European companies are now "getting that clarity and I didn't see anything in the fine print that is outward and more negative," Tsouvali said.
Expectations of similar trade agreements before the August 1 tariff deadline have helped lift the benchmark STOXX 600 to within 1.8% of its all-time high hit on March 4, marking a 19.5% rebound from its April trough.
Pharmaceutical (.SXDP), opens new tab and automobile stocks (.SXAP), opens new tab - sectors with the largest exports to the United States - hit their highest in one month and two months, respectively. The baseline tariff brings tariffs for the auto industry down from the 27.5% faced before.
Pharma heavyweights Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab and Roche (ROG.S), opens new tab rose 0.4% and 1.4%, respectively.
Shares of Stellantis (STLAM.MI), opens new tab and Volvo Cars (VOLCARb.ST), opens new tab, which have pulled their 2025 financial guidance due to U.S. trade uncertainty, rose marginally.
Spirits stocks Pernod Ricard slipped 1.4% and 1.3%, respectively, as the trade deal did not contain any decision regarding the spirits sector.
Heineken (HEIN.AS), opens new tab fell 4.3% after the Dutch brewer said it was weighing all options to deal with growing tariff challenges long-term, including shifting manufacturing.
LVMH (LVMH.PA), opens new tab rose marginally after media reports said French luxury goods group is in discussions with multiple buyers to offload its fashion label Marc Jacobs.
ASML (ASML.AS), opens new tab, the world's biggest supplier of computer chip-making equipment, jumped 4.2%, while chipmakers Besi (BESI.AS), opens new tab and ASM International (ASMI.AS), opens new tab were among the top gainers on the index adding 5.5% and 3.8%, respectively.
In a week full of key events, investors will closely monitor policy decisions from the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan, earnings from several "Magnificent Seven" companies and the looming August 1 tariff deadline.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Spain's services sector growth speeds up sharply in July, PMI shows
Spain's services sector growth speeds up sharply in July, PMI shows

Reuters

timea minute ago

  • Reuters

Spain's services sector growth speeds up sharply in July, PMI shows

MADRID, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Spain's services sector experienced a significant boost in July, with activity rising at its fastest pace since February, driven by firmer domestic demand, a survey by S&P Global showed on Tuesday. The HCOB Spain Services PMI Business Activity Index jumped to 55.1 in July from 51.9 in June, marking the highest level since February, when it was 56.2. PMI readings above 50 denote growth while those below suggest contraction. The indicator has reflected growth in activity in every month since September 2023. Domestic demand was much stronger than foreign demand, according to those polled by S&P. "As the second half of the year begins, the Spanish economy is exhibiting broad-based expansion, supported by both the services and manufacturing sectors," said Hamburg Commercial Bank economist Jonas Feldhusen. The strong services growth together with a robust growth of the manufacturing sector reported by a sister survey on Friday bode well for the country's economic growth in the third quarter. The National Statistics Institute said last week that Spanish gross domestic product growth came to a stronger-than-expected 0.7% in the second quarter. The PMI data "reinforces expectations that the current growth trajectory could persist in the coming quarters," Feldhusen said. The government expects 2.6% growth this year, much faster than expected in the euro zone's other large economies.

I felt sick when a scammer stole £2k from my bank despite writing about fraud for 20 years – the red flags I ignored
I felt sick when a scammer stole £2k from my bank despite writing about fraud for 20 years – the red flags I ignored

The Sun

timea minute ago

  • The Sun

I felt sick when a scammer stole £2k from my bank despite writing about fraud for 20 years – the red flags I ignored

DRIVING home from an emergency vet trip for my miniature schnauzer, Luna, and my phone rang. I pulled into answer and my mind was racing. It was two days before we were due to go on a two-week family holiday to France and I was juggling picking up the kids from nursery. 1 'Hello? Is that Ruth Jackson-Kirby…', a calm man said, with a professional voice, 'I'm from Santander's fraud team. There's been a suspicious payment on your card'. My stomach flipped. This is the last thing we need, I thought. He knew everything - my name, my credit card provider, the exact product, the colour of the card, and even the last four digits of a card that I'd cancelled months earlier due to fraud. 'In order to reverse the transaction, I need you to approve it in your app,' he said. He asked me how someone could've got my card details. Had I used it somewhere dodgy? Responded to any texts from HMRC or the police? We spoke for around 20 minutes — he waited until I got home, as I didn't have the card with me. Then he told me the transaction was with a car hire firm in Spain, Discovery Cars. He said he could reverse it — but I'd need to approve it in the app first. I hesitated. But he reassured me that it was just a step in the refund process — and that only a Santander staff member could trigger the app notification. I was flustered and distracted. I tapped approve. Despite my two-decade long career as a financial journalist where I write about scams for a living, I didn't question it. It was only when he started talking about a second transaction that I realised and hung up. But it was too late - £2,059 disappeared from my bank. I had become a victim of an impersonation scam – where criminals pose as your bank, the police or HMRC – are the most common cons around. 'Despite the rise of AI, what we're seeing right now is criminals continuing to use tried and tested methods,' a National Trading Standards spokesperson told The Sun. 'These include impersonation scams that see criminals bombard consumers with texts, emails or calls that appear to be from banks or other trusted organisations like the NHS, HMRC or parcel delivery firms.' While I was on the phone to Santander – having dialled the number on the back of my card – he rang back five times. When I finally got through, the real fraud team confirmed I'd been scammed. A payment to Discovery Cars for £2,059.99 had gone through. I felt sick. I couldn't believe I'd fallen for it. I've written about scams for 20 years. Now I was the victim. Thankfully, Santander refunded the money four days later. But I barely slept in the meantime. I thought I'd lost the money. 'Scammers are ruthless – and impersonation scams are rife,' says Michelle Pilsworth, head of fraud and customer experience at Santander. 'Scammers use personal data that they have taken from interactions with the individual or via the dark web to convince them to trust them, and in turn, part with their money.' Someone at Santander told me that it often starts with a text saying you need to pay a fine or unpaid bill. You click, tap in your details, hear nothing more. Then a year or two later, a scammer uses those details in a call like the one I received. The red flags I ignored LOOKING back there were red flags on the call, I just didn't notice them. The second time he called, my husband overheard and picked up on something I'd missed: the scammer used my maiden name. I haven't been great at updating my name everywhere, but my bank would use my married name. He also mentioned a credit card I'd cancelled — but that card wasn't from Santander. A real Santander employee wouldn't have had access to that. And when I started hesitating, he turned up the pressure. 'We need to act now to reverse the payment,' he said. Creating urgency is a classic scam tactic, and I fell for it In my case, the scammer put the charge on my credit card. Santander refunded it quickly, but if they hadn't, I could've claimed under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. This law means credit card providers must refund you if the goods or service don't arrive, which they wouldn't have done, and they cost between £100 and £30,000. If I'd paid straight from my current account, it would've been a type of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud. Since new rules came in last year, banks must refund victims of APP scams — up to £85,000, though they can deduct a £100 excess. But if you ignore your bank's warnings or wait too long to report the fraud, you might not get your money back. The same scammer has called me twice since. Now I know what to do. 'I'll call you back,' I say, and hang up. That's my advice to everyone. If someone calls saying they're from your bank or card provider – don't even listen. Don't argue. Don't let them draw you in. Hang up. Then find the right number and call back yourself. If it's genuine, they'll tell you. And if it's not – you've just saved yourself a lot of money. .

Hugo Boss' cost cuts help it report profit beat despite weak sentiment
Hugo Boss' cost cuts help it report profit beat despite weak sentiment

Reuters

timea minute ago

  • Reuters

Hugo Boss' cost cuts help it report profit beat despite weak sentiment

Aug 5 (Reuters) - Cost measures helped Hugo Boss ( opens new tab report a slightly better than expected quarterly operating profit and confirm its outlook for 2025, the German fashion group said on Tuesday, while warning of weak consumer sentiment globally. Earnings before interest and taxes rose 15% to 81 million euros ($93.5 million) in the second quarter, beating analysts' forecast of 77 million euros in a company-provided poll, aided by cost-cutting measures as a stronger euro weighed on sales. When converted into euros, Hugo Boss' revenue fell 1% to 1 billion euros in the quarter, roughly in line with a market forecast of 998 million euros. "The second quarter of 2025 was once again marked by a challenging macroeconomic and industry environment, with global consumer confidence remaining at a low level," CEO Daniel Grieder said in a statement. Hugo Boss confirmed its sales and profit guidance for the year, but said it now expected sales in reporting currency in the Americas to remain at around last year's level, dragged by a weaker U.S. dollar against the euro. It had initially expected low single-digit percentage growth in the region. The company will keep monitoring macroeconomic developments and tariff talks, while focusing on controlling costs and strengthening its profitability, Grieder said. Demand in the U.S. strengthened in the quarter compared to a weaker start to the year, resulting in modest revenue growth, the company said. Demand in China remained subdued, leading to a 5% currency-adjusted decline in its Asia-Pacific sales. Germany and France drove a 3% currency-adjusted sales rise in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, despite a slight decline in Britain, it added. Hugo Boss' shares were up 1.5% in early Frankfurt trade. ($1 = 0.8663 euros)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store