European telecoms fuel benchmark index losses

Zegona Communications

18/09/2026 11:58

** Shares of European telecom companies .SXKP fall 2.7%, the worst-performing sector within Europe's benchmark STOXX 600 index .STOXX which is down 0.5%
** Airtel Africa AAF.L slides nearly 9%, biggest loser on the pan-European index, after Bloomberg News reported its Airtel Money unit considers downsizing its London IPO
** Analysts do not point to a single driver for the sector decline, with Oddo BHF's Stephane Beyazian saying investors may be rotating into technology stocks after telecoms outperformed earlier in the year
** Vodafone Spain-owner Zegona ZEG.L, France's Orange ORAN.PA and UK-based Vodafone Group VOD.L are also among worst STOXX performers, falling between 4.6% and 5.5%
** Deutsche Telekom DTEGn.DE drops 4.2% to the bottom of Germany's blue-chip index .GDAXI; Sweden's Telia TELIA.ST and Tele2 TEL2b.ST slide nearly 4%, the worst among Stockholm's blue-chips .OMXS30

(Reporting by Kira Britten)
((Kira.Britten@thomsonreuters.com))