European Shares Rally On Trade Deal Optimism

(RTTNews) - European stocks were sharply higher on Wednesday after three straight sessions of losses.

Focus shifted to potential trade agreements after U.S. President Donald Trump announced trade deals with Japan & Philippines.

The prospects of an EU-U.S. trade agreement improved after Trump said that EU representatives would come for trade negotiations on Wednesday.

"We have Europe coming in tomorrow, and the next day, we have some other ones coming in," Trump said late on Tuesday, without specifying details.

The pan European STOXX 600 jumped 1.2 percent to 550.83 after falling 0.4 percent on Tuesday.

The German DAX rose a little over 1 percent, France's CAC 40 climbed 1.5 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up half a percent.

Shares of Dutch telecommunications provider Koninklijke KPN NV fell nearly 2 percent after declaring its Q2 and H1 2025 results.

Recruiter Randstad NV dropped 1.8 percent despite reporting Q2 core profit in line with expectations.

Computer chip equipment maker ASM International plummeted 8.5 percent after second-quarter bookings fell short of expectations.

Lonza Group AG shares surged 5 percent. The Swiss contract drug manufacturer reported 23 percent growth in its half-year core profit, beating market expectations.

Pharma giant Roche Holding AG rose 1.4 percent after pausing some shipments of the controversial gene therapy Elevidys.

Stora Enso Oyj shares were up almost 6 percent. The Finnish forestry group reported better-than-expected second-quarter operating earnings despite a volatile demand environment.

French train maker Alstom rallied 4 percent as first-quarter sales topped estimates.

Defense and aerospace group Thales fell 2 percent after order intake in the first half of 2025 declined 4 percent on a reported basis and organically.

Automaker Renault Group climbed 3.7 percent after vehicle sales rose by 1.3 percent in the first half of the year.

Informa, an international events and academic publishing group, jumped 5.7 percent after raising its full-year revenue guidance.

German software maker SAP tumbled 3 percent. The company maintained its full-year targets despite reporting higher quarterly sales and earnings.