U.K. stocks lower at close of trade; Investing.com United Kingdom 100 down 0.67%

Investing.com -- UK equities extended their losing streak on Tuesday, pressured by renewed tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump tied to Greenland, while domestic data added to the gloom, showing unemployment remained high in November and wage growth cooled.

The blue-chip index FTSE 100 dropped about 0.7% and the British GBP/USD gained 0.4% against the dollar to 1.3475. 

The DAX index in Germany fell 1.1%, and the CAC 40 in France dropped 0.6%. 

FTSE-100 round up

RAPT Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:RAPT) stock surged 64.02% on Tuesday, pre-market trading, after pharmaceutical giant GSK plc (LON:GSK) announced plans to acquire the company for $58 per share, valuing RAPT at $2.2 billion. The all-cash transaction gives GSK access to RAPT’s promising food allergy program, particularly its anti-IgE antibody ozureprubart, which is currently in Phase IIb development for prophylaxis against multiple food allergens including peanut, milk, egg, cashew, and walnut.

In other market news, CPP Group Plc (LON:CPPG) stock plunged 26.4% after the UK-based assistance company announced it is considering cancelling its AIM listing and transitioning to a private company structure. The board cited challenges faced by small-cap companies, including "persistent undervaluation, limited liquidity, and the ongoing costs and administrative burden" of maintaining a public listing.

Shares in Wise PLC (LON:WISEa) jumped 16% after the money transfer company beat quarterly revenue forecasts and raised its profit margin outlook. The fintech company reported underlying income of £424.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, up 21% from £349.5 million a year earlier and 3% above analyst consensus of £412 million.

Qinetiq Group PLC (LON:QQ) said it remains on track to meet full-year expectations, forecasting an operating margin of about 11% and earnings per share growth of 15% to 20%, as the British defense company reported more than £3 billion in orders year to date.

Big Yellow Group PLC (LON:BYG) reported third-quarter revenue of £52.3 million, up from £51 million a year earlier, as higher net rents helped offset lower occupancy during a seasonally weaker period. Like-for-like store revenue for the quarter increased to £51.9 million from £51 million.

Informa PLC (LON:INF) shares were trading higher after the company raised its 2025 adjusted earnings guidance to around 55.5p per share, implying underlying year-on-year growth of 10-15%. The company also announced a new £200 million share buyback and expects 2025 revenue to reach around £4 billion.

Ibstock PLC (LON:IBST) shares plummeted 4% in London trading after the group’s full-year 2025 trading update implied a sharper-than-expected cut to future earnings, despite results for the year coming in broadly in line with guidance, with adjusted EBITDA expected to be around £71 million.

Kier Group PLC (LON:KIE) said first-half trading was in line with board expectations, leaving full-year (FY26) guidance unchanged, supported by steady operational delivery and tighter cash control.

DFS Furniture PLC (LON:DFSD) saw its shares surge 5.5% in the early part of the session before pulling back and closing 1.1% higher after raising its full-year profit guidance above market consensus. The UK’s market leading upholstered furniture retailer now expects full-year underlying profit before tax and brand amortization to be between £43-50 million, ahead of the current market consensus of £41 million.

Investing.com – Italy stocks were lower after the close on Tuesday, as losses in the Telecoms, Chemicals and Utilities sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Milan, the Investing.com Italy 40 fell 0.96%.

The best performers of the session on the Investing.com Italy 40 were Amplifon (BIT:AMPF), which rose 4.92% or 0.63 points to trade at 13.43 at the close. Meanwhile, Davide Campari Milano SpA (BIT:CPRI) added 3.70% or 0.21 points to end at 5.99 and Saipem SpA (BIT:SPMI) was up 2.98% or 0.08 points to 2.76 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Telecom Italia (BIT:TLIT), which fell 2.85% or 0.02 points to trade at 0.56 at the close. Buzzi Unicem (BIT:BZU) declined 2.81% or 1.40 points to end at 48.36 and Brunello Cucinelli (BIT:BCU) was down 2.77% or 2.34 points to 82.16.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Milan Stock Exchange by 554 to 187 and 40 ended unchanged.

Shares in Saipem SpA (BIT:SPMI) rose to 3-years highs; up 2.98% or 0.08 to 2.76. Shares in Brunello Cucinelli (BIT:BCU) fell to 52-week lows; falling 2.77% or 2.34 to 82.16.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 1.74% or 1.03 to $60.37 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March rose 1.55% or 0.99 to hit $64.93 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 3.45% or 158.75 to trade at $4,754.15 a troy ounce.

EUR/USD was up 0.83% to 1.17, while EUR/GBP unchanged 0.48% to 0.87.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 1.01% at 98.19.

Investing.com – Germany stocks were lower after the close on Tuesday, as losses in the Telecoms, Construction and Retail sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Frankfurt, the DAX lost 1.08%, while the MDAX index fell 1.85%, and the TecDAX index fell 1.26%.

The best performers of the session on the DAX were Deutsche Boerse AG (ETR:DB1Gn), which rose 2.43% or 5.10 points to trade at 215.40 at the close. Meanwhile, MTU Aero Engines NA O.N. (ETR:MTXGn) added 1.05% or 4.00 points to end at 384.50 and Adidas AG (ETR:ADSGN) was up 0.96% or 1.45 points to 153.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Fresenius SE & Co KGAA O.N. (ETR:FREG), which fell 4.56% or 2.25 points to trade at 47.12 at the close. Vonovia SE (ETR:VNAn) declined 3.53% or 0.88 points to end at 24.08 and Bayer AG NA (ETR:BAYGN) was down 3.34% or 1.49 points to 42.92.

The top performers on the MDAX were Aumovio Se (ETR:AMV0n) which rose 3.18% to 43.50, Fraport AG (ETR:FRAG) which was up 1.61% to settle at 75.85 and Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG Preferred (ETR:P911_p) which gained 0.93% to close at 41.46.

The worst performers were United Internet AG NA (ETR:UTDI) which was down 5.94% to 26.58 in late trade, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ETR:AFXG) which lost 5.49% to settle at 35.46 and Nemetschek AG O.N. (ETR:NEKG) which was down 5.01% to 75.90 at the close.

The top performers on the TecDAX were Sartorius AG VZO O.N. (ETR:SATG_p) which rose 0.36% to 254.40, Jenoptik AG (ETR:JENGn) which was up 0.28% to settle at 21.58 and SMA Solar Technology AG (ETR:S92G) which gained 0.06% to close at 34.12.

The worst performers were United Internet AG NA (ETR:UTDI) which was down 5.94% to 26.58 in late trade, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ETR:AFXG) which lost 5.49% to settle at 35.46 and Nemetschek AG O.N. (ETR:NEKG) which was down 5.01% to 75.90 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by 476 to 164 and 25 ended unchanged.

Shares in Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ETR:AFXG) fell to 5-year lows; losing 5.49% or 2.06 to 35.46. Shares in Nemetschek AG O.N. (ETR:NEKG) fell to 52-week lows; falling 5.01% or 4.00 to 75.90. Shares in Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ETR:AFXG) fell to 5-year lows; down 5.49% or 2.06 to 35.46. Shares in Nemetschek AG O.N. (ETR:NEKG) fell to 52-week lows; falling 5.01% or 4.00 to 75.90.

The DAX volatility index, which measures the implied volatility of DAX options, was up 20.34% to 19.39 a new 1-month high.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 3.45% or 158.45 to $4,753.85 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March rose 1.74% or 1.03 to hit $60.37 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 1.55% or 0.99 to trade at $64.93 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.83% to 1.17, while EUR/GBP unchanged 0.48% to 0.87.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 1.01% at 98.19.

Investing.com -- Qiagen NV (NYSE:QGEN) stock surged over 10% Tuesday after Bloomberg reported the European molecular testing firm is considering strategic options, including a potential sale, amid fresh takeover interest.

The company is reportedly working with advisers as its supervisory board fields preliminary interest from potential suitors. According to people familiar with the matter, Qiagen has held talks with several possible buyers in recent weeks, including some U.S. strategic companies.

Shares of the testing technology provider have fallen about 18% in Frankfurt trading over the past year, giving the company a market value of €8.3 billion ($9.7 billion).

This isn’t the first time Qiagen has attracted takeover interest. The company has been approached multiple times in recent years, though previous discussions never resulted in a deal.

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

Investing.com - ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) announced a multi-year collaboration deal with OpenAI on Tuesday, enabling direct access to frontier model capabilities within its platform without requiring custom development. RBC Capital maintained its Outperform rating and $195.00 price target on ServiceNow following the announcement.

The partnership will allow OpenAI models to power ServiceNow agents for customers, with ServiceNow’s AI Control tower providing governance and orchestration for visibility into model usage and actions. Specific applications include AI assistance, AI-powered summarization and content generation, developer and admin tools, and intelligent search and discovery.

According to an unconfirmed Wall Street Journal article, the deal spans three years and depends on customers using OpenAI models within ServiceNow, while also including a revenue commitment from ServiceNow to OpenAI. RBC Capital views the partnership positively, noting it demonstrates ServiceNow’s importance in organizational workflows and OpenAI’s desire for access to enterprise-grade customers.

RBC Capital analysts believe the integration could help increase adoption of Now Assist as organizations gain access to broader use cases. The firm expects more details about the partnership during ServiceNow’s Q4 earnings call on January 28, including potential revenue commitments and impacts on Now Assist ACV, which management estimated would reach $1 billion by the end of 2026.

ServiceNow was RBC Capital’s top non-consensus pick in its 2026 outlook, with the firm expecting slight upside to Q4 results and an in-line 2026 guidance. The analysts believe the integration could drive more ServiceNow consumption, supporting their bullish thesis on the stock.

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

Investing.com – Poland stocks were lower after the close on Tuesday, as losses in the Chemicals, Energy and Media sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Warsaw, the WIG30 lost 0.02%.

The best performers of the session on the WIG30 were Orange Polska SA (WA:OPL), which rose 4.08% or 0.43 points to trade at 10.97 at the close. Meanwhile, CCC SA (WA:CCCP) added 2.13% or 2.85 points to end at 136.85 and Grupa KĘTY SA (WA:KTY) was up 1.46% or 14.50 points to 1,007.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA (WA:PGE), which fell 2.93% or 0.27 points to trade at 8.89 at the close. CD PROJEKT SA (WA:CDR) declined 2.31% or 6.40 points to end at 270.30 and Cyfrowy Polsat SA (WA:CPS) was down 1.82% or 0.25 points to 13.45.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Warsaw Stock Exchange by 340 to 218 and 95 ended unchanged.

Shares in Orange Polska SA (WA:OPL) rose to 5-year highs; rising 4.08% or 0.43 to 10.97.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 1.63% or 0.97 to $60.31 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March rose 1.44% or 0.92 to hit $64.86 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 3.30% or 151.80 to trade at $4,747.20 a troy ounce.

EUR/PLN was unchanged 0.06% to 4.23, while USD/PLN fell 0.65% to 3.60.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.91% at 98.30.