Indonesia stocks lower at close of trade; IDX Composite Index down 1.97%

Investing.com - European stocks traded in a mixed fashion Thursday, as investors digested a plethora of quarterly earnings from some of Europe’s biggest companies in the wake of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged.

At 03:10 ET (08:10 GMT), the DAX index in Germany dropped 0.7%, while the CAC 40 in France gained 0.9% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. rose 0.6%. 

Fed keeps rates unchanged  

The U.S. Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the conclusion of its latest policy-setting meeting on Wednesday, pausing after a series of cuts late last year.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said policymakers needed greater confidence that inflation was moving sustainably toward the 2% target before easing policy further, while noting that economic growth remained resilient.

““Chair Powell’s decision to hold rates steady underscores a Federal Reserve that is increasingly cautious, internally divided, and intent on preserving credibility amid extraordinary political noise,” said David Millar, CIO at Catalyst Funds.

Market pricing from CME’s FedWatch tool showed traders expect the Fed to keep rates on hold in the near term, but deliver two more cuts later this year. 

Back in Europe, the economic data slate includes eurozone consumer confidence and business sentiment data for January, which is expected to show an improvement.

Deutsche Bank reports record profits

Turning to the corporate sector, investors have numerous quarterly reports to wade through as the earnings season becomes more intense.

Deutsche Bank (ETR:DBKGn) reported a record-high pretax profit for the fourth quarter of 2025 on strength in its global investment operations, although the print was overshadowed by a recent police investigation on allegations of money laundering. 

Nokia’s (HE:NOKIA) fourth-quarter operating margin fell to 8.8% from 14.4% a year earlier, pressured by €299 million in restructuring charges and integration costs from its Infinera acquisition.

The Finnish telecom equipment maker also warned that first-quarter 2026 net sales would "decline somewhat more than normal seasonality" - historically a 24% quarter-on-quarter drop.

Nordea Bank (HE:NDAFI) reported fourth-quarter net profit ahead of expectations, with the Nordic lender helped by a better-than-expected performance in both net interest income and fees.

ING (AS:INGA) reported a record annual profit for 2025 and said it would continue returning about half of its capital generation to shareholders, as the Dutch bank set out an outlook showing stable income and returns through 2027.

ABB (SIX:ABBN) reported a strong fourth quarter and the Swiss industrial automation and electrification group provided upbeat guidance for the start of 2026, capping a record year with strong orders, improving margins.

Roche (SIX:RO) reported a 58% rise in net profit in 2025 and forecast further sales and earnings growth in 2026, with the Swiss drugmaker benefitting from strong demand for newer medicines, which offset pressure from patent expiries, currency effects and pricing reforms in China.

French drugmaker Sanofi (EPA:SASY) said it expects sales to grow by a high-single-digit percentage in 2026, banking on strong demand for its blockbuster asthma drug Dupixent and some newer medicines.

STMicroelectronics (EPA:STMPA) reported a quarterly loss, with the semiconductor manufacturer forecasting a sequential decline in first-quarter revenue, as restructuring charges and weaker automotive demand weighed on results.

There were also earnings from some major tech companies on Wall Street for investors to wade through.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) stock jumped in post-market trading after the company delivered an upbeat revenue outlook, reinforcing enthusiasm around AI-driven advertising tools. 

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) also beat expectations, offering some support to growth stocks.

By contrast, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares slipped after its results highlighted rising costs linked to heavy AI investment, tempering broader sentiment toward the sector.

Crude surges on Iran concerns

Oil prices climbed strongly Thursday on increasing concerns the U.S. may carry out a military attack on Iran, potentially disrupting supply from this key Middle Eastern producer. 

Brent futures gained 1.3% to $68.26 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 1.5% to $64.18 a barrel.

Both contracts have climbed about 5% since Monday and are at their highest since September 29.

President Trump has increased the pressure on the Iranian regime to end its nuclear program, amid reports that he was considering new military action, with a naval group arriving in the region. 

Iran is the fourth-largest producer among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with output of 3.2 million barrels per day.

The crude market has registered strong gains this week as a winter storm in the U.S. has disrupted crude production, with estimates suggesting at least 2 million barrels of crude per day of production being taken offline in the past week.

Investing.com -- Henry Boot PLC (LON:BOOT) on Thursday delivered solid performance in 2025 despite challenging market conditions, with profit before tax expected to be broadly in line with consensus.

The company reported record residential plot sales of 3,957 at its Hallam Land division, exceeding its target of 3,500 sales per annum. The division also secured 4,159 planning consents during the period.

Net debt increased to £108 million due to higher planning and land investments, slightly above the company’s target range of 10-20%.

Henry Boot’s HBD division completed £119 million of gross development value (GDV), with the company’s share amounting to £33 million. Approximately 32% of these schemes are pre-let or pre-sold.

The company also expanded its Origin joint venture, which now includes three schemes totaling 449,000 square feet.

The company achieved several major planning milestones, including Golden Valley and new schemes at Duxford and FREEPORT 36. Its Stonebridge Homes division completed 185 homes, below expectations, but expanded its land bank to 2,572 plots.

Despite these positive developments, Henry Boot warned that 2026 profit before tax is expected to be "significantly below current market expectations" due to ongoing subdued transaction activity, wider macroeconomic uncertainty, a lower forward sales position, and the expiry of the profitable Road Link contract in March.

CEO Tim Roberts said: "While market activity remains subdued, the fundamentals of our three key markets remain compelling, and we are well placed to benefit from the significant opportunities we have been building up within our portfolio, supported by a strong balance sheet and a disciplined approach to investment."

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Fever-Tree Drinks on Thursday reported full-year 2025 sales of £375.3 million, slightly ahead of analyst expectations of £373.2 million, with organic sales growth of 3%.

The premium mixer company showed improving trends in the second half of the year, particularly in the US where the transition into TAP’s 400-strong distributor network has been successful with 6% underlying growth.

The UK market demonstrated a clear second-half inflection, moving from mid-single digit declines in the first half to approximately flat performance in the second half. This improvement was driven by off-trade resilience and faster growth in non-tonic products.

In other regions, France remained a standout performer while Benelux showed improvement, though Germany continues to face challenges. Rest of World growth was strong with some favorable shipment phasing, but underlying second-half growth still reached double digits.

Following the completion of a £100 million share buyback program in 2025, Fever-Tree will begin an additional £30 million buyback in February, reflecting confidence in the company’s cash generation capabilities.

The company is expected to report its full profit and loss statement on March 24. Analysts maintain a price target of £11.00 for the stock, representing a 24% upside from the current price of 890.00p.

Looking ahead to 2026, Fever-Tree is positioned to benefit from its TAP partnership, which is expected to provide increased scale and execution capability in the US market, along with enhanced marketing support to boost brand awareness.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.12%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (TYO:5713), which rose 9.45% or 851.00 points to trade at 9,855.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Hino Motors, Ltd. (TYO:7205) added 7.77% or 30.00 points to end at 416.00 and Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) was up 5.17% or 1,320.00 points to 26,860.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TYO:8035), which fell 5.64% or 2,470.00 points to trade at 41,330.00 at the close. SMC Corp (TYO:6273) declined 4.68% or 2,950.00 points to end at 60,130.00 and Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (TYO:2501) was down 4.65% or 77.50 points to 1,590.50.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2023 to 1582 and 208 ended unchanged.

Shares in Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (TYO:5713) rose to all time highs; up 9.45% or 851.00 to 9,855.00. Shares in Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) rose to all time highs; up 5.17% or 1,320.00 to 26,860.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 0.56% to 34.33.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 1.77% or 1.12 to $64.33 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 1.59% or 1.07 to hit $68.44 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 4.83% or 258.05 to trade at $5,598.25 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was down 0.25% to 153.04, while EUR/JPY rose 0.09% to 183.55.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.42% at 95.87.

Investing.com – Taiwan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Biotech & Medical Care, Chemical/Bio & Medical care and Electronic Products Distribution sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Taiwan, the Taiwan Weighted added 0.79% to hit a new all time high.

The best performers of the session on the Taiwan Weighted were Asia Plastic Recycling Holding Ltd (TW:1337), which rose 10.00% or 0.56 points to trade at 6.16 at the close. Meanwhile, Abnova Taiwan Corp (TW:4133) added 10.00% or 2.40 points to end at 26.40 and Golden Bridge Electech Inc (TW:6133) was up 10.00% or 2.55 points to 28.05 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Career Technology MFG Co Ltd (TW:6153), which fell 8.89% or 1.65 points to trade at 16.90 at the close. Acbel Polytech Inc (TW:6282) declined 8.50% or 5.00 points to end at 53.80 and Lemtech Holdings Co Ltd (TW:4912) was down 7.01% or 7.40 points to 98.10.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Taiwan Stock Exchange by 0 to 0.

Shares in Golden Bridge Electech Inc (TW:6133) rose to 3-years highs; gaining 10.00% or 2.55 to 28.05.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 1.42% or 0.90 to $64.11 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 1.20% or 0.81 to hit $68.18 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 5.13% or 273.91 to trade at $5,614.11 a troy ounce.

USD/TWD was up 0.06% to 31.32, while TWD/CNY unchanged 0.05% to 0.22.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.34% at 95.95.