Finance
European shares end flat as markets assess earnings flurry
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 18, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 18, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
European shares ended flat as mixed sector performances balanced out. Investors focused on corporate earnings and tariff impacts, with notable stock movements in healthcare and industrial sectors.
By Sanchayaita Roy and Twesha Dikshit
(Reuters) -European shares were unchanged on Friday, as losses in heavyweight healthcare shares were countered by an advance in oil and gas stocks, closing out a busy week filled with corporate earnings from around the continent.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index held steady at 547 points, clocking marginal weekly losses.
Regional bourses were mixed with Germany's benchmark DAX dropping 0.3%, while the UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 gained 0.2%.
With corporate earnings gaining steam, investors are closely examining corporate guidance to see how firms are adjusting to the shifting U.S. tariff policy, ahead of the August 1 trade deadline.
"Earnings misses in Europe are being punished by more than history would suggest, pointing to greater scrutiny after a remarkable rally year-to-date," said Laura Cooper, head of macro credit and investment strategist at Nuveen.
"How corporates are navigating tariff uncertainty, potentially weaker demand, and supply chain dynamics will be in focus, though a message of past-peak tariff enthusiasm could prop up sentiment and drive greater upside."
On Friday, Swedish mining equipment maker Epiroc dropped 9.2% after its second quarter results missed market expectations.
Atlas Copco also fell 7.8% after the Swedish industrial group reported second-quarter adjusted operating profit below market expectations and a decline in orders.
There were bright earnings as well, with Saab jumping 16.4% after posting higher-than-expected second-quarter earnings and raising its sales outlook.
Getinge added 6% after the Swedish medical equipment maker reported second-quarter core earnings above market expectations.
Industrials was the best performing STOXX sub-sector this week, while automobiles was the laggard this week.
On Friday, healthcare stocks were the top losers with British drugmaker GSK down 4.6% after a U.S. FDA advisory panel recommended against approving its blood cancer drug Blenrep due to concerns over side effects.
Helping offset some losses, oil and gas shares added 0.6% and food and beverages advanced 0.8%.
Among other moving stocks, Danish wind turbine maker Vestas jumped 15% after J.P. Morgan upgraded its rating to "overweight" from "neutral".
Iveco climbed 8.3% after a Reuters report that Italy's Agnelli family is in talks over the possible sale of the truck maker with two mentioning Tata Motors as a potential buyer.
Swedish home appliances maker Electrolux slumped 14.3% after poor second-quarter performance in Europe and India's Reliance Industries said its retail unit acquired home appliance maker Kelvinator from Electrolux.
(Reporting by Sanchayaita Roy and Twesha Dikshit in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore, Leroy Leo and Chris Reese)
The pan-European STOXX 600 index held steady at 547 points, clocking marginal weekly losses.
Oil and gas shares added 0.6%, and food and beverages advanced 0.8%, helping to offset some losses in other sectors.
Epiroc's stock dropped 9.2% after its second quarter results missed market expectations.
Healthcare stocks were the top losers, with British drugmaker GSK down 4.6% after a U.S. FDA advisory panel recommended against approving its blood cancer drug.
Investors are closely examining corporate guidance to see how firms are adjusting to the shifting U.S. tariff policy, indicating greater scrutiny of earnings misses.
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