Europe’s STOXX 600 inches up as Novo Nordisk surges at begin of Christmas week

By Ankika Biswas

(Reuters) -Europe’s STOXX 600 closed barely larger at the beginning of a holiday-shortened week, as a spike in Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) shares boosted the healthcare sector and capped losses on the principle inventory index.

The pan-European STOXX 600 gauge closed 0.1% larger after clocking its largest weekly fall in over three months final week. Buying and selling volumes have been comparatively low forward of the Christmas break.

Main sectoral declines, journey and leisure fell 2%, hit by a ten.1% slide in Swedish on-line gaming firm Evolution.

Nevertheless, shares in Novo Nordisk jumped 5.7%, aiding a 1.4% rise within the healthcare sub-index.

On Friday, the drugmaker’s disappointing outcomes for experimental weight problems drug CagriSema worn out as a lot as $125 billion off its market worth on Friday, down practically 21%. Individually, the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration accepted Novo Nordisk’s bleeding dysfunction drug Alhemo.

Volkswagen (ETR:VOWG_p) shed 1.3%, erasing early positive factors that got here after the automaker struck a take care of unions following months of talks.

Direct Line (LON:DLGD) rose 3.8% on British insurer Aviva (LON:AV)’s plans to purchase the corporate in a 3.7 billion pound ($4.65 billion) cash-and-stock deal. Aviva closed 1.1% up.

In the meantime, European Central Financial institution (ECB) President Christine Lagarde stated the euro zone was getting very near reaching 2%, in keeping with a Monetary Instances interview.

Lagarde additionally stated she opposed retaliation by Europe to tariff threats made by incoming U.S. President Donald Trump. Issues over this have already weighed on the bloc’s danger belongings, piling on its worsening financial outlook.

“Equities had already rallied into the (first ECB charge) reduce, because the anticipated recession by no means materialized. After six months of largely flat fairness markets whereas quicker and additional cuts by the ECB have turn out to be more and more seemingly… another reason to be constructive on European equities into 2025,” a Deutsche Financial institution (ETR:DBKGn) notice stated.

Trump’s feedback about potential tariffs on the European Union spooked traders and steered a pointy fall in equities on Friday, with the Federal Reserve’s projections of fewer charge cuts in 2025 additionally sapping investor sentiment final week.

In the meantime, Spain’s GDP grew 0.8% within the third quarter, whereas Britain’s economic system did not develop and added to indicators of a slowdown which have forged a shadow over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s new authorities.

Britain’s principal inventory index closed 0.2% up, whereas the Spanish benchmark dipped 0.3%.