Reuters: European shares retreated on Tuesday, after three consecutive sessions of record highs, as investors shifted their focus to corporate earnings from U.S.-China trade developments.
The continent-wide STOXX 600 index closed 0.2% lower, with most major regional indexes mirroring the move.
Spain’s blue-chip IBEX 35 eclipsed its 2007 threshold to set an all-time high, up 0.5%. Growth in Spanish banks boosted the index, outpacing the broader European banking sector.
Finland’s benchmark index closed 1.8% higher, at an over three-year high. Nokia jumped over 20% to its highest level since 2016, after AI bellwether Nvidia said it planned to invest $1 billion in the telecom equipment provider.
The broader telecom index outperformed peers with a 2.2% rise.
Conversely, heavyweight healthcare shares fell 1.7%, with Swiss drugmaker Novartis down 4.2% despite meeting third-quarter profit forecasts.
The European construction and materials sector fell 0.8%, dragged down by a 5.9% loss at chemicals firm Sika after a rating downgrade.
Banks added 0.8%. HSBC rose 4.6% after boosting its income outlook and vowing to shift into growth mode with its Hang Seng Bank takeover. London’s FTSE 100 topped 9,700 points for the first time.
Limiting gains was BNP Paribas, down 3.5% after the French bank missed third-quarter profit forecasts.
European stocks have had a recent rally to record highs, boosted by optimism over a potential U.S.-China trade deal ahead of a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart in South Korea on Thursday.
A trade deal would halt heavier U.S. tariffs and Chinese rare earth export controls, helping allay some recent worries about tensions between the two economic powers.
Major central bank policy announcements will be watched this week. The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, while the European Central Bank is likely to hold rates on Thursday.
Capgemini gained 1.5% after the French IT consulting firm raised its growth forecast, while wind turbine maker Nordex soared nearly 23% after hiking its full-year earnings outlook.
