European equity markets reached new record levels on Thursday as investors drew support from robust corporate earnings, optimism surrounding negotiations linked to the Strait of Hormuz, and stronger-than-expected economic data from Germany.
According to Destatis, German factory orders rose 3.1% month over month in June, significantly above the revised 0.3% increase recorded in May and well ahead of economists’ expectations for a 0.5% gain. On an annual basis, new orders accelerated to 6.5%, compared with 4.5% in the previous month.
Meanwhile, Iran said it was finalising a shipping agreement with Oman covering commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, while rejecting reports that the United States was participating in the negotiations.
Major European indices advance
France’s CAC 40 gained 0.7%, while Germany’s DAX and the UK’s FTSE 100 both traded around 0.2% higher.
UK stocks in focus
Tullow Oil (LSE:TLW) fell 5.3% after investors reacted to concerns over the company’s unchanged debt position.
Wizz Air (LSE:WIZZ) slipped 1% after reporting a quarterly net loss that exceeded market expectations.
WPP (LSE:WPP) surged 23% as the advertising giant exceeded forecasts with its first-half profit and margin performance.
Persimmon (LSE:PSN) added 4% after stating that full-year home completions are expected to reach the upper end of previous guidance.
Serco (LSE:SRP) climbed 6% after reporting stronger first-half underlying earnings and announcing an expansion of its share buyback programme.
German stocks post mixed performance
Fresenius (TG:FRE) advanced 1.6% after posting solid second-quarter earnings and raising its outlook for 2026.
SGL Carbon (TG:SGL) gained 5% after returning to profitability in the second quarter.
Commerzbank (TG:CBK) rose 1.2% following record first-half financial results.
Nordex (TG:NDX1) added 2.5% after securing a contract from Turkerler Holding to supply approximately 525 MW of wind turbines.
Henkel (TG:HEN) jumped 4.6% after delivering strong interim results and upgrading its organic growth forecast for 2026.
Deutsche Telekom (TG:DTE) rallied almost 6% after increasing its 2026 share buyback programme by up to €3 billion.
Siemens (TG:SIE) dropped 5% after issuing a profit outlook that disappointed investors.
Merck (TG:MRK) gained 1.7% after improving its full-year sales and earnings guidance.
Other European movers
Swisscom (TG:SWJ) advanced 4.3% after reaffirming its 2026 revenue outlook alongside solid quarterly results.
Adecco (TG:ADI1) declined 3% after weaker-than-expected gross margins and operating cash flow weighed on investor sentiment.
Banco BPM (BIT:BAMI) climbed 5.3% after raising its profit guidance for 2026.
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