European shares edge higher, buoyed by financials
16/02/2026 08:03
For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window Feb 16 (Reuters) - The STOXX 600 index edged higher on Monday, aided by gains in financial stocks ahead of data on industrial production, while investors geared up for fresh earnings releases later this week that could offer clues into the health of corporate Europe. The pan-European index .STOXX edged up 0.3% to 619.74 points by 0810 GMT, with banks-heavy Spain's benchmark .IBEX leading gains among regional markets. European shares hit a volatile patch in late January and through early February on worries that newer artificial intelligence tools could squeeze profits of traditional businesses. However, a better-than-feared earnings season in the face of steep U.S. tariffs helped the STOXX index touch a record high last week and log its third-straight week of gains. Banks .SX7P and insurance stocks .SXIP that had been mired in AI-disruption worries last week were up 1.6% and 1%, respectively. No major earnings releases are expected on Monday, but those from Orange ORAN.PA, Zealand Pharma ZELA.CO, Airbus AIR.PA and BE Semiconductor BESI.AS are due later this week. On the data front, a report later in the day is expected to show euro zone industrial production increased 1.3% year-on-year in December, compared with a 2.5% rise a month earlier, at a time when investors are anticipating that fiscal stimulus is reviving the sector. (Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala) ((johann.mcherian@thomsonreuters.com))