On Wednesday, the STOXX 50 index experienced a decline of 0.6%, while the STOXX 600 saw a decrease of 0.5%, pulling back after both indices had advanced over 1% in the previous session. This retreat occurred amidst renewed caution preceding an impending announcement by President Donald Trump regarding tariffs. Reports have indicated the possibility of President Trump implementing a broad 20% tariff on a substantial range of imports, though details about the scope and specifics remain unclear. Most industry sectors faced losses despite minor gains in travel and oil and gas stocks.
On the corporate front, companies such as Sanofi (-3.1%), Société Générale (-3%), BNP Paribas (-2.7%), Bayer (-2.7%), and Novo Nordisk (-2%) were among those that performed poorly. Conversely, Engie (+1.6%), Carrefour (+1.4%), L'Oreal (+1%), and Inditex (+1%) managed to outperform their peers. In other developments, UniCredit (-1.4%) disclosed that Italy’s securities regulator, Consob, has endorsed its acquisition bid for Banco BPM (-1.6%). In addition, Crédit Agricole (-0.5%) has received approval from the European Central Bank to surpass the 10% ownership stake in Banco BPM.
