European stock markets approached record highs on Thursday, as the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 25-basis-point reduction in interest rates, aligning with market expectations. The STOXX 600 index, which represents a broad range of stocks across Europe, climbed by 0.8%, recovering from a two-day drop. Major markets, including France and Italy, saw gains, while Germany's DAX index achieved a new record high.
The ECB's rate cut, the second consecutive reduction after a similar move in September, is the first time in 13 years the bank has made back-to-back cuts. Despite this action, the ECB did not provide future guidance in its statement, maintaining that its decisions will continue to be guided by incoming data.
Dean Turner, chief eurozone economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, anticipates further rate cuts, predicting a decrease in December and continuous cuts at each subsequent meeting until June of the following year. Turner also noted that small and mid-cap companies in the eurozone present an appealing investment opportunity and are likely to benefit from the ECB's rate cut policy.
Sector-wise, defense stocks led the gains with a surge of 2.6%, while financial services, banks, and industrial goods also performed strongly. Small and mid-cap indices both increased by approximately 0.4%, hitting two-week highs.
The positive mood among investors was bolstered by a series of strong corporate earnings reports prior to the ECB's announcement. Nordea Bank Abp (LON:0N4T), a Finnish bank, experienced a 6.3% rise in its share price after increasing its forecast and revealing a new share buyback program. This contributed to a more than 1% increase in the overall bank index.
Sartorius Stedim Biotech SA (EPA:STDM), a French pharmaceutical equipment supplier, saw its shares skyrocket by 17.7%, leading the STOXX 600 after reporting higher-than-expected order intake in bio-processing, which enhanced its nine-month results. British company Rentokil Initial PLC (LON:RTO) also enjoyed an 8.7% boost in its shares following the announcement of its plans to enhance organic growth in North America, supported by an increase in group revenue.
Conversely, Mondi's (LON:MNDI) shares fell by 7.4% after the British packaging company posted a decline in third-quarter core profit. Nokia (HE:NOKIA)'s shares also dropped by 2.5% as it failed to meet quarterly sales expectations and announced significant job cuts in Greater China and Europe as part of cost-saving measures.
Nestle SA (SIX:NESN) managed to close with a 2.5% gain despite initially reducing its full-year sales forecast, with analysts citing encouraging remarks from the company's management as a factor in the share price recovery.
Reuters contributed to this article.