>>> Europe : Brokers Upgrades & Downgrades - 30th of October 2025

>>> Up
* ABB PT Raised to 68 Swiss francs from 62 Swiss francs at Citi
* Campari Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan; PT 6 euros
* Deutsche Bank PT Raised to 39 euros from 34 euros at RBC
* Emeis Raised to Reduce at AlphaValue/Baader
* Equinor Raised to Buy at Arctic Securities; PT 270 kroner
* Garmin PT Raised to $208 from $167 at Barclays
* Kempower Raised to Accumulate at Inderes; PT 17 euros
* Nordex Raised to Reduce at AlphaValue/Baader
* Sweco Raised to Buy at Jefferies; PT 200 kronor
* Sweco Raised to Buy at ABG; PT 195 kronor
* Vale ADRs Raised to Buy at Banco BTG Pactual; PT $15
* Valmet Raised to Buy at Inderes; PT 32 euros

>>> Down
* Boeing Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank; PT $240
* Eurobank Cut to Hold at HSBC; PT 3.65 euros
* Fiserv Cut to Neutral at Seaport Global Securities
* Fiserv Cut to Neutral at Goldman; PT $79
* Fiserv Cut to Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley; PT $81
* Fiserv Cut to Hold at Truist Secs
* Fiserv Cut to Hold at TD Cowen; PT $80
* Impianti Cut to Neutral at EnVent S.p.A.; PT 1 euro
* Kuehne + Nagel Cut to Underweight at Barclays
* Loihde Cut to Reduce at Inderes; PT 11.70 euros
* Matvareexpressen Cut to Sell at Norne Securities; PT 190 kroner
* Meta Cut to Market Perform at Oppenheimer
* Mowi Cut to Hold at Nordea
* Neste Cut to Neutral at BNPP Exane; PT 19 euros
* Neste ADRs Cut to Neutral at BNPP Exane; PT $11.20
* Outokumpu Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank; PT 3.60 euros
* Salmar Cut to Sell at Nordea; PT 500 kroner
* Symrise Cut to Add at AlphaValue/Baader
* Valmet Cut to Hold at SEB Equities; PT 30 euros

>>> Initiation
* Bachem Rated New Neutral at Oddo BHF; PT 64.60 Swiss francs
* Cisco Reinstated Buy at President Capital Management; PT $90
* Otofarma Rated New Buy at Alantra Capital Markets; PT 8 euros
* Ratos Rated New Hold at SEB Equities; PT 42 kronor
* SMG Swiss Marketplace Group Rated New Neutral at Goldman
* SMG Swiss Marketplace Group Rated New Overweight at JPMorgan
* SMG SW Rated New Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley
* SMG Swiss Marketplace Group Rated New Neutral at BNPP Exane

>>> Call

>>> Stoxx 600 Pre-Market Indications

  • SocGen (SGE TH) +2%
    • *SOCGEN 3Q NET INCOME EU1.52B, EST. EU1.31B
  • Scout24 (G24 TH) +1.9%
    • Scout24 Sees FY Rev. Mid to High End of +14% to +15%
  • Standard Chartered (STD TH) +1.6%
    • StanChart Raises Outlook as Quarterly Profit Beats Estimate (2)
  • AB InBev (1NBA TH) +1.5%
    • *AB INBEV ANNOUNCES $6 BILLION SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAM
  • Adidas (ADS TH) +1.2%
  • Ferrovial (8ZQ TH) +1%
  • Air Liquide (AIL TH) +0.8%
  • Zalando (ZAL TH) +0.8%
  • Airbus (AIR TH) +0.7%
    • Airbus Ebit Beats, Delivery Target Maintained: Street Wrap (1)
  • RENK Group (R3NK TH) +0.6%
  • LEG Immobilien (LEG TH) -0.6%
  • AstraZeneca (ZEG TH) -0.8%
  • Rolls-Royce (RRU TH) -0.8%
  • Kering (PPX TH) -0.9%
  • Nokia (NOA3 TH) -0.9%
  • Vodafone (VODI TH) -1.2%
  • Rio Tinto (RIO1 TH) -1.3%
  • Mowi (PND TH) -1.4%
    • Mowi Cut to Hold at Nordea
  • Novo (NOV TH) -1.9%
  • Prysmian (AEU TH) -2.7%
    • Prysmian Boosts FY Adjusted Ebitda Forecast

>>> TradeGate Pre-Market Indications

DAX:
  • Scout24 (G24 TH) +2.7%
    • Scout24 Sees FY Rev. Mid to High End of +14% to +15%
  • Adidas (ADS TH) +1.4%
  • Airbus (AIR TH) +1.1%
  • Zalando (ZAL TH) +1%
MDAX:
  • HelloFresh (HFG TH) +1%
    • HelloFresh 3Q Adjusted Ebitda Beats Estimates
  • Lufthansa (LHA TH) +1%
    • *LUFTHANSA 3Q ADJ. EBIT EU1.33B, EST. EU1.28B
  • RENK Group (R3NK TH) +0.8%
  • Aixtron (AIXA TH) +0.8%
    • Aixtron 3Q EPS Misses Estimates
  • TeamViewer (TMV TH) +0.7%
  • Porsche (P911 TH) -0.6%
    • VW Says Outlook Pivots on Chip Supply as Nexperia Fallout Looms
  • Wacker Chemie (WCH TH) -2.5%
    • Wacker Chemie Sees FY Rev., Ebitda at Low End of Outlook Ranges
SDAX:
  • Vossloh (VOS TH) +3.6%
    • Vossloh 3Q Ebit Margin 9.6%
  • Befesa (BFSA TH) +2.9%
    • Befesa 3Q Adjusted Ebitda Meets Estimates
  • Kontron (KTN TH) +1.7%
    • Kontron FY Revenue Forecast Misses Estimates

FT : Capgemini chief calls for EU’s flagship rules on AI to be suspended

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The chief executive of French IT company Capgemini has called for the suspension of the EU’s rules on AI, and warned that the bloc should think about tech sovereignty “in an intelligent manner”, writes Adrienne Klasa.

Context: Europe has been lagging behind the US on innovation, prompting calls to promote its technological sovereignty. Reasons for its lag include a more fragmented market, a shallower pool of investment and a tendency towards over-regulation, according to many in the industry.

For Capgemini’s CEO Aiman Ezzat, the EU’s 2024 AI Act is a case in point. 

“I think we should really suspend this AI Act, which is really not conceived the right way,” Ezzat told the Financial Times. “You don’t try to really regulate something you don’t understand.”

He argued that AI is evolving so quickly that the regulation no longer makes sense and can’t keep pace with innovations. “I don’t think we can afford any more regulation. I think the only way out for Europe is to deregulate,” he said.

Ezzat said the debate around Europe’s tech sovereignty needed to be more clearly defined. “Absolute tech sovereignty is not feasible in Europe. We don’t have [that] capability,” he said.

“Sovereignty should not become an impediment to technology adoption,” he added. “I think it’s dangerous because it can become the biggest impediment to the adoption of technology which then will hurt competitiveness further in Europe.”

Europe still has a strong industrial base, but one that needs to be leveraged more fully through data and innovation, Ezzat said, pointing out that slower adoption of new technologies has been identified as a drag on Europe’s competitiveness in former Italian premier Mario Draghi’s report on the topic. 

“The sovereignty aspect definitely needs to be addressed but it needs to be done in an intelligent manner,” Ezzat said.
ef calls for EU’s flagship rules on AI to be suspended

FT : Real Madrid seeks more than €4bn in damages from Uefa over Super League deb

Real Madrid seeks more than €4bn in damages from Uefa over Super League debacle
Club plans claim after court upholds ruling that governing body abused position by blocking breakaway competition

Real Madrid is planning to seek more than €4bn in damages from Uefa for alleged losses it suffered after European football’s governing body blocked proposals for a controversial Super League.

The Spanish football club believes it has lost out on revenues of between €4.5bn and €4.7bn since Uefa vetoed the European Super League plan in 2021, according to documents produced by experts hired by Real Madrid.

The figures, seen by the Financial Times, take into account lost matchday, broadcast and commercial revenues at Real Madrid, one of the driving forces behind the Super League proposals.

One person close to the club said it was planning to shortly file a claim for damages of more than €4bn in the courts.

Real Madrid’s assessment comes after Uefa — alongside La Liga and RFEF, the Spanish football league and national governing body respectively — lost an appeal at the provincial court of Madrid on Wednesday.

It upheld a ruling by Madrid’s commercial court that Uefa abused its dominant competitive position by vetoing plans four years ago for the breakaway Super League, which would have upended European club football.

The original proposal for the Super League was for a 20-team league in which 15 clubs, including Real Madrid, were granted permanent member status.

The plan collapsed within 72 hours of being made public after widespread opposition from football fans and politicians.

A22 Sports Management, the company behind the Super League, rebranded the proposed competition as the “Unify League” in December, adding that they now favoured open competition involving more clubs.

Real Madrid said the court ruling confirmed that Uefa “seriously breached” EU competition law and that the judgment “paves the way for substantial claims to compensate for the damages suffered by the club”.

The EU’s Court of Justice ruled in December 2023 that Uefa had acted unlawfully in threatening to impose sanctions on players and clubs for joining the proposed Super League.

As well as being the governing body for European football, Uefa also operates tournaments, including the elite Champions League, which would have been severely undermined by the formation of the Super League. Real Madrid has won the Champions League a record 15 times.

Uefa said the ruling by the provincial court of Madrid “does not validate the abandoned ‘super league’ project announced in 2021” or “undermine” the new rules it has since adopted for authorising new competitions.

“These rules ensure that any cross-border competitions are assessed on objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate criteria,” it added.

Uefa said it would review the court judgment before deciding on any further steps.

Two people familiar with the case said Uefa could appeal against the ruling at the Spanish supreme court.

That would force Real Madrid to postpone any claim for damages until a resolution was found, one of the people said.

La Liga president Javier Tebas hit back at Real Madrid, in his latest battle with the most successful club in the competition’s history.

“This ruling does not in any way represent an endorsement of the Super League or any other format,” he said.

>>> US After Hours Summary: Some big tech names reported - GOOG +6% is higher; E

After Hours Summary: Some big tech names reported - GOOG +6% is higher; EBAY -7.6%, META -7.6%, KLAC -3.7%, MSFT -3.7% trade lower; FMC -24.9%, CMG -15.6%, TMDX -11.4%, CVNA -8.8%, PI -8.8% also lower

After Hours Gainers:

Companies trading higher in after hours in reaction to earnings/guidance: GKOS +20.3%, GH +17.6%, MDXG +16%, ALGN +15.8% (also announces ClinCheck Live Plan), EBS +15.1%, MAX +13.4% (also authorizes new $50 mln share repurchase program), CHRW +12.1% (also authorizes new $2 bln share repurchase program), LXU +10.9%, FORM +9.9%, CALX +8.8%, VRRM +8.5%, VIAV +8.4%, MCW +8.1%, BHC +7.6%, GOOG +6%, JOE +6% (also increases dividend), ROG +5.8%, RWT +5.6%, GRBK +5.2%, JBSS +4.5% (also special dividend of $1.00/share), TS +4.4%, COHU +4.2%, SNCY +4%, WEX +3.6%, NOW +3.5% (also approves 5-for-1 stock split; also expands strategic collaboration with FDX Dataworks), VAL +3.2%, AWK +3.1%, TTMI +3.1%, CVI +2.6%, SUI +2.2%, MKL +2%, STAG +1.7%, PSA +1.6%, UDMY +1.6%, MORN +1.5% (also authorizes new $1 bln share repurchase program), PRU +1.3%, TENB +1.3%, EPR +1.2%, ESS +1.2%, FIBK +1.2%, COKE +1.1%, RIG +0.9%, RSI +0.9%, UDR +0.8%, OPK +0.7%, IRT +0.5%, TYL +0.4%, EQIX +0.3%, MAA +0.3%, PFS +0.1%

Companies trading higher in after hours in reaction to news: TECX +22.6% (reports Phase 1b results for TX45), FDX +0.5% (NOW and FDX Dataworks announce expanded strategic collaboration), DINO +0.5% (expansion of its Midstream refined products footprint), SMMT +0.5% (stock offering by selling shareholders), WVE +0.4% (Activin E data from its INLIGHT clinical trial of WVE-007), CENX +0.2% (Jamalco joint venture resumes production following landfall of Hurricane Melissa), ADEA +0.1% (Federal Court of Canada issues favorable judgment), KO +0.1% (Barron's positive note), PG +0.1% (Barron's positive note), EA +0.1% (About 20 banks are involved in financing EA buyout, according to Bloomberg)

After Hours Losers:

Companies trading lower in after hours in reaction to earnings/guidance: FMC -24.9% (also President stepping down, reduces dividend sharply), SFM -21.4%, WOLF -19.6%, CMG -15.6%, TMDX -11.4%, CVNA -8.8%, PI -8.8%, EBAY -7.6%, META -7.6%, MEOH -7.3%, EHC -6.6%, ALSN -5.8%, KRG -5.6% (also increases dividend), SPOK -5.5%, MUSA -5% (also names new CEO; also authorizes new $2 bln share repurchase program and raises dividend), STEM -4.8%, RRX -4.6% (also CEO to step down), KLAC -3.7%, MSFT -3.7%, MGM -3.6%, ASTL -3.5% (also CEO to retire, names new CEO and new CFO), MC -3.2%, CDE -3.1%, BIO -3%, TNK -3%, AGI -2.8%, BBIO -2.8%, TDOC -2.8%, ETD -2.4%, MELI -2.4%, DVA -2%, PPC -2%, EXR -1.9%, NTGR -1.8%, ARE -1.8%, PBI -1.6% (also increases dividend), AM -1.4%, AR -1.3%, CBZ -1.1%, EQX -1.1%, VTR -1.1%, THG -0.8%, AVB -0.7%, CP -0.7%, CP -0.7%, BLX -0.5%, SBUX -0.4%, WAY -0.3%, CGNX -0.2% (also increases dividend), CSL -0.2% (also increases share repurchase target to $1.3 bln for the full year), AEM -0.1%, WHD -0.1%, PGRE -0.1%

Companies trading lower in after hours in reaction to news: NTLA -18.2% (FDA places clinical hold on 2 Phase 3 trials), CLF -9.4% ($75 mln stock offering; also files mixed securities shelf offering), SVRA -2.1% (stock offering; also $75 million royalty funding agreement), MNMD -1.9% (stock offering), CLSK -0.6% (files prospectus supplement for sale by shareholder), TSLA -0.6% (robotaxis involved in repeated crashes, NHTSA report shows — Electrek), AMSF -0.2% (special cash dividend of $1.00/share), WMT -0.1% (Barron's positive note), GBTG -0.1% (stock offering by selling shareholders)

FT : Mittal joint venture says it has stopped buying Russian oil

Mittal joint venture says it has stopped buying Russian oil
Statement follows FT reporting on crude purchases that had been transported on sanctioned vessels

Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal’s energy joint venture in India has said it has stopped buying Russian crude oil, shortly after the FT reported the company had bought almost $280mn of oil that was transported on sanctions-listed vessels.

HPCL-Mittal Energy said on Wednesday it “had already taken the decision to suspend further purchases of Russian crude” in response to “new restrictions on imports of crude oil from Russia by the US, EU and UK”.

The group, usually known as HMEL, is a joint venture between part of the Mittal group and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, an Indian state company.

The FT reported earlier on Wednesday that HMEL’s Guru Gobind Singh Refinery in Punjab, a major oil refinery, had received at least four shipments since July that had been transported most of the way from Murmansk on US-sanctioned vessels.

The new US sanctions, announced last week, targeted Rosneft and Lukoil, Moscow’s two leading oil producers, as part of an effort to apply pressure to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

The move is set to hit Indian refiners in particular, since the country became the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude when other markets closed to the product following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.


The White House has been increasingly keen to prevent India from buying Russian crude in an effort to heighten pressure on the Kremlin’s war machine.

Washington doubled tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent in August, citing the country’s record in “directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil”.

HMEL joins a growing list of India’s major refiners that have had to shift away from Russian oil.

Reliance Industries, owned by Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has said it will “recalibrate” its imports, although it did not explicitly state that it will stop buying Russian oil.

Reliance, which runs the world’s largest refinery, said last week it was “fully committed” to applying sanctions and would adapt its “refinery operations to meet the compliance requirements”.

Indian Oil, a major state refiner, has subsequently specified that it would not “absolutely” stop buying Russian oil but would avoid purchases from sanctioned entities.

The FT reported this week that the sanctioned vessels took the four shipments of oil as far as the Gulf of Oman. To disguise their role in the process, the shipments were then passed to a vessel that had not been hit by US sanctions for the final leg of the journey to the Indian port of Mundra.

The vessel, the Samadha, made this short run four times.

To hide this process, the ships coming from Russia switched off their transponders, while the Samadha used its to broadcast a false position.

Customs filings show that the oil was purchased from Varda LLC, a St Petersburg oil supplier.

HMEL said that, since the cargo is supplied “on a delivered-at-port basis”, it was not aware of “details of other ships that crude may have been transported on, nor any attempts by those ships to conceal their position to pick up crude from sanctioned vessels”.

The company added that it complied with Indian law, with all shipments subject to “due diligence and compliance procedures” including “KYC [know your customer], sanctions screening, vessel history and prior port clearance”.

A former senior US sanctions official said they would expect Indian companies and officials would be worrying that “a story like this would create political will” in the US to take even harder action against New Delhi.

Reuters : Italy is ready to amend golden powers to appease EU, sources say

Italy is ready to amend golden powers to appease EU, sources say

  • EU set to move against Italy over golden powers
  • Decision is expected on November 12-13
  • Parties are negotiating to defuse conflict

ROME, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Italy has told the European Commission it is ready to make some changes to its so-called "golden power" rules aimed at shielding companies in strategic sectors, sources said, as the EU prepares disciplinary steps over the matter.

Brussels is set to act against the way Rome uses the golden powers to set conditions on bank mergers, as part of a push to remove obstacles to the creation of larger financial groups across Europe.

Italian and EU officials are already negotiating over how Rome can amend its legislation without radically distorting it, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks said, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations are private.

Rome's prime concern is to maintain the principle, which has been confirmed by some Italian court rulings, that the government has the right to defend its national interest in business matters.

Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and the EU Commissioner for Financial Services Maria Luis Albuquerque, opens new tab discussed the issue last week in Rome, the sources said.

An EU spokesperson declined to comment.

Reuters reported this month that the EU was preparing to order Italy to withdraw a government decree that set conditions on UniCredit's (CRDI.MI), opens new tab bid for smaller lender Banco BPM (BAMI.MI), opens new tab.

The bid eventually failed, with UniCredit in July blaming the government's intervention for its decision to drop the takeover. Among several prescriptions, Italy told UniCredit it had to halt activities in Russia by early 2026.

Brussels also wants to challenge Rome's overall golden power legislation through a separate infringement procedure to be started through a letter of formal notice.

The college of EU commissioners is expected to make a decision on the dual-track move against Italy around November 12-13.

In exchanges with Rome, the Commission said significant corporate mergers should be vetted at the EU level to prevent member states from taking unjustified measures, the sources said.

While the government is willing to amend its overall golden power legislation, it remains to be seen whether it will comply with the request to drop the terms set for the UniCredit-BPM deal, or else challenge the EU move before a judge.

Italy told the EU the legitimacy of these conditions was largely upheld by a July court ruling which confirmed the key request for UniCredit to exit Russia, the sources added.

A decision stating that Rome's prescriptions are unlawful would potentially expose the state to billions of euros in damage claims by UniCredit, Reuters has previously reported.