Benelux

As early quarter results show businesses adapting to President Donald Trump's new tariffs, the outlook for European corporate health is slightly better, according to the latest earnings estimates released on Tuesday. According to data from LSEG, European companies will report an average growth of 0.4% for their third quarter earnings. This is higher than the 0.2% analysts expected just a week earlier. This would still be the lowest quarterly performance since the beginning of 2024. Early Results Beat Analyst Expectations So far, 96 companies in the index have reported their earnings. Of these, 56.3% exceeded analyst expectations. Volvo Cars is...

Wall Street's major indexes closed at record highs on Monday for the second consecutive day as investors were optimistic about the prospects of a U.S. China trade deal. They also looked forward to an exciting week that will include high-profile earnings from the technology sector and the widely anticipated U.S. rate cut. U.S. president Donald Trump and his Chinese equivalent Xi Jinping will meet on Thursday in order to decide on a plan that could pause the tougher U.S. duties and China's export restrictions on rare earths. This would ease market jitters about a possible trade war, and send Wall...

Wall Street's major indexes hit new record highs Monday, as the excitement surrounding a possible U.S. China trade deal set a tone for a busy week of high-profile earnings from technology companies and a widely anticipated interest rate reduction. On Thursday, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping (the Chinese counterpart) will meet to discuss the future of the U.S.-China relationship. A framework This could stop the tougher U.S. Tariffs and China's export restrictions on rare earths. It would also ease market anxiety about a possible trade war, and send Wall Street's VIX "fear gauge", to a month-low. During his weekend TV...

Five sources said that an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management wanted to cut costs in Citgo Petroleum, a Venezuelan-owned refiner, while a unit from Gold Reserve was mainly focused on maintaining the statusquo. This is as the long auction which will determine the refiners' future approaches its end. The details of the competing visions of Citgo were revealed ahead of an auction to select the winner of PDV Holding, Citgo's parent. The Delaware court ordered the auction of shares to be held to pay for Venezuelan debt defaults, expropriations and other damages. The judge will decide next week who wins...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. The President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, said that TOTALENERGIES Mozambique has met the conditions to lift the force majeure for its $20 billion LNG project in Southern Africa. DEME GROUP The Belgian engineering company said that it had secured a contract to transport and install inter-array cable at the Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm located in Germany. CARMILA The French shopping centre operator launched a tender on four existing bonds worth 300 million euros. Pan-European market data: European Equities speed...

Stellantis revealed a prototype electric vehicle on Friday, featuring a lighter, faster charging and more affordable battery. This eliminates the requirement for an inverter or charger. IBIS, the Intelligent Battery Integrated System (Intelligent Battery Integrated System), was developed by TotalEnergies subsidiary Saft in partnership. Stellantis stated that it is the first system of its kind, and offers weight and space saving and is easier for service. The new system has a 10% higher efficiency than an electric vehicle with the same size battery, and it reduces charging times by one hour. The public has been unable to accept EVs because...

ExxonMobil has halted 100 million euros (118.4 millions) in investment in European Plastic Recycling due to draft EU rules that define the recycled content of a final product. Two projects are being developed by the U.S. energy company to recycle chemicals at its existing plants in Rotterdam, and Antwerp. The project will process 80,000 tons of plastic waste annually. In an interview, Jack Williams, Senior Vice-President of ExxonMobil, said that the two projects were now halted due to the EU draft rules which he claimed discriminated against existing petrochemicals facilities versus standalone installations. "Everything is going according to plan." He...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. EURONEXT Euronext, the pan-European stock exchange operator, announced on Thursday that it would be added to France's CAC 40 blue-chip index. Euronext announced that Teleperformance, a French call centre and office services company, will be excluded from the CAC 40 index. The SBF 120 index, which measures the most traded stocks, will now include Abivax and Exail Technologies, instead of Esso and OVH. The changes will take effect on September 22. ROBERTET The French fragrance group announced half-year revenue of...

According to a report by the Italian-American automaker and the government, Chrysler's parent Stellantis was fined $190.6 Million for failing to meet U.S. fuel efficiency requirements. In an annual report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that Stellantis had paid $112.3 in June and $78,3 in March as payments for shortfalls in 2019 and 2020 models. Stellantis paid a total of $773.5 Million since 2018. NHTSA informed automakers last month that they would not be fined for failing to meet fuel-efficiency rules going back to 2022, as per a law signed into law by President Donald Trump. Stellantis confirmed...

Startups around the world are racing to create new battery technologies that use materials such as sodium and sulfur, or other innovative chemistries. They aim to reduce costs and reduce dependence on certain minerals for electric vehicles (EVs). China controls 90% of raw material processing for two of the most popular lithium-ion variants in today's electric vehicle market. The battery technology is constantly evolving, but its basic principles remain unchanged. It has three components: a cathode anode, and an electrolyte. Here are some of the battery types that are currently being used or developed by car manufacturers as they weigh...

Startups around the world are racing to create new battery technologies that use materials such as sodium and sulfur, or other innovative chemistries. They aim to reduce costs and reduce dependence on certain minerals for electric vehicles (EVs). China controls 90% of raw material processing for two of the most popular lithium-ion EV variants. The battery technology is constantly evolving, but its basic principles remain unchanged. It has three components: a cathode anode, and an electrolyte. Here are some of the battery types that are currently being used or developed by carmakers as they consider long-term solutions. Use in batteries...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. DRONEVOLT: Drone Volt, a drone-maker, entered into a strategic partnership that will see the two parties deploy drone inspections on several sites both in France and abroad. EVS: Belgian broadcast equipment manufacturer EVS has announced the acquisition of Telemetrics, a U.S. based company. The move is part of an effort to increase its global reach. The Belgian company also maintained its guidance for annual revenue and EBIT after delivering revenues of almost 92 million euro ($107.25 millions) in the first...

Aperam, an European stainless steel manufacturer, reported lower than expected core earnings on Friday. This was due to lower volumes and increasing price pressure in its native continent. The adjusted earnings before taxes, depreciation, and amortization dropped around 25% from the year prior to 74 millions euros ($86million), whereas analysts surveyed by the company expected 76 million euro on average. The main drivers of the decline were lower seasonal volumes, increased price pressures in Europe and temporary soft Alloys contributions. The group made a statement. Data from the company showed that the average steel price per ton fell by 10%...

ArcelorMittal can capture a part of the market void caused by lower imports, once the EU steel quotas are implemented. This was the Chief Financial Officer GenuinoChristino's statement on Thursday. Christino told analysts that he did not see any problem in capturing that portion of the market. In October, the European Commission proposed a reduction of almost half in tariff-free import quotas for steel and a 50% tax on excess shipments. This was done to maintain viable steelmaking within the European Union. However, it is not yet clear when these new measures will be implemented. Christino stated that the current...

The CEO of Solvay, a chemical group, said that the company would be interested to build a processing plant for rare earths in the United States where there is more financial support than in Europe. Solvay is one of only a handful of companies outside China that can perform the difficult rare earths separation. In April, it began processing minerals for permanent magnets in its French facility. However, commercial production will depend on government and customer support. In order to reduce dependence on China, the United States, Europe, and their allies are racing to develop domestic industries that can produce...

ArcelorMittal reported its third quarter core profit on Thursday, in line with the market's expectations. It also gave a positive outlook to 2026. According to LSEG, the Luxembourg-based company reported earnings before interest taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), of $1.51billion in the third quarter. This is in line with analyst estimates of $1.50billion. Aditya Mittal, chief executive of the company, said that "we are seeing signs stabilization" and were optimistic about our business outlook in 2026 when we would benefit from more supportive policies for industry in key markets. The company stated that the overall demand was still weak and...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. WORLDLINE: Worldline said it plans to raise 500 millions euros ($583million) as part a capital infusion, which will be used to help the French payments company recover from years' worth of setbacks, and restore investor trust. ELIS SA: A global leader in circular services in action Elis acquired 100% ownership of Lavanderia Hospitalar Acqua Flash Ltda (Acquaflash) in Brazil. The company is based in Brasilia and generated revenues of approximately 6 million euro in 2024. Integration into the Group's accounts...

African Rainbow Minerals, a South African company, announced on Wednesday that the mine, which is jointly owned by ARM and ArcelorMittal South Africa (the ailing steelmaker), will be put on "care-and-maintenance" following the cessation of purchases from its only customer. Beeshoek Mine is temporarily closed for maintenance and care as owners assess other options in case the market conditions change. The mine's mining operations ceased at the beginning of October. About 622 permanent employees will be laid off on November 30. Beeshoek - operated by Assmang – a joint venture of ARM and the international miner Assore – stopped deliveries...

Eduardo Ledsham, the CEO of Bamin, a Brazilian iron ore producer controlled by Kazakhstan's Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), told reporters late Monday that three new investors are interested in becoming shareholders. Ledsham, speaking at the Exposibram Mining Conference, said that the parties were considering either a stake in the company or acquiring full control. The firm is currently developing a major project for expansion, requiring an investment of around $6 billion. He added that Bamin, located in the northeastern Bahia state, anticipates the strategic investor joining the company as early as 2026. The company currently operates the Pedra de Ferro...

Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, said that Canada is ready to resume talks with the United States after President Donald Trump suspended them over an anti-tariff ad issued by Ontario’s provincial government. Trump ended the talks Thursday after the video was released in which Ronald Reagan, a Republican icon and former president, said that tariffs lead to trade wars, economic disaster, and Republican icons. In a social media post made late at night, Trump branded the ad as fraudulent. Carney, since becoming Prime Minister, has made two trips to the White House to try to reach a deal...

Volkswagen's German plants will continue to operate normally in the next week, as it seeks to protect its supply chain against a dispute involving Dutch chipmaker Nexperia. However, the automaker warned that short-term impacts were possible. Sources told Reuters on Thursday that Volkswagen's main Wolfsburg plant production would continue as planned next week but there were uncertainties beyond that. The Chinese ban on Nexperia chips in automotive and other industries has caused supply chains to be shaken. Companies are now looking for alternatives, as they wonder how long their stockpiles will last. UNCERTAINTY RESURRES EVEN NEXT WOEEK. Volkswagen said that...

Ford Motors cut its profit forecast on Thursday. The company cited the fallout of a fire that occurred at an aluminum supplier, which will affect production of some its most profitable vehicles until the end of the calendar year. Ford Motor said that a fire in September at Novelis's Oswego factory, which supplies materials for F-150 trucks, will cost it between $1.5 and $2 billion, before taxes and interests. It expects to offset around $1 billion next year. Ford CEO Jim Farley stated in a press release that he was on site with Novelis, working to source aluminum for parts...

Two people familiar with this matter have confirmed that Germany's Thyssenkrupp is going to start giving India's Jindal Steel International greater access to the financial details of their Thyssenkrupp Steel Europa (TKSE), business, starting next week. Last month, Jindal Steel submitted an indicative offer for TKSE. TKSE is Europe's second largest steelmaker, after ArcelorMittal. Thyssenkrupp CEO Miguel Lopez said on Monday that the talks were intense. People said that the deepening due diligence coincides the visit by a Jindal Steel delegation to TKSE headquarters in Duisburg in advance of the crunch negotiations planned for later this year. Thyssenkrupp declined to...

VSMPO - AVISMA, the largest titanium producer in the world, announced on Monday it would switch some employees who are not directly involved with production to a 4-day work week. The company stated in a press release that it planned to move some employees, who were not directly involved in production processes but were administrative staff, onto a four-day work week. The company said that the decision was made to "maintain operational stability and preserve the highly-qualified staff of the business." The company has not stated how long these measures will be in effect. This is not an easy choice,...