Live Markets: Lacklustre open

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16/07/2026 09:08

Adds new blog post
STOXX 600 down 0.5%
Kospi, Nikkei slide overnight
U.S., Iran trade missile strikes
Rotork surges after takeover deal
Wall Street futures lower
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LACKLUSTRE OPEN 
European shares have opened Thursday's trading on the back foot, following a weak handover from Asia, with the Nikkei and Kospi both falling sharply. 
The pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX is down about 0.5%, with major bourses in Frankfurt .GDAXI, Paris .FCHI and London .FTSE all down by over 0.5%. 
That follows a soft session in Asia, where chip stocks are hitting a rough patch after a blistering rally. South Korea's Kospi dropped 6% on Thursday, taking it down 27% from its June peak. Japan's Nikkei 225 .N225 slid 2.8%. 
Renewed missile strikes in the Middle East are not helping matters, with traffic transiting the Strait of Hormuz still just a fraction of what it was before the war.
In corporate news, Rotork shares ROR.L are up by 66% after the company agreed to be taken over by Switzerland's ABB ABBN.S, the latest British company to be snapped up by a foreign bidder. 
Here's your opening snapshot: 
     (Samuel Indyk)
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EARLIER ON LIVE MARKETS:
EUROPE BEFORE THE BELL: STEADY ENOUGH CLICK HERE
THIS AI, IT WILL MAKE A PROFIT, RIGHT? CLICK HERE