News of likely profit growth from a leading global chip maker sparked a rally in tech stocks on Thursday.
Dublin
House builder Glenveagh Properties grabbed the headlines on Thursday when the business announced that earnings per share last year hit around 20 cent, beating market expectations.
Shares in the group closed 4.85 per cent up at €1.99. Dealers said Glenveagh’s statement was “well received”.
The announcement boosted rival Cairn Homes, whose stock advanced 2.18 per cent to end the day at €2.105.
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Ryanair added 2.84 per cent to €28.96 despite the stock going ex-dividend.
Food group Glanbia rose 3.25 per cent to €15.59.
London
The UK’s benchmark index closed at a record high on Thursday after upbeat data underscored the economy’s resilience, while a strong earnings run boosted financials.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed up 0.56 per cent at 10,245.99 points. The domestically focused mid-cap index added 1.4 per cent, touching a four-year high.
Fund manager Ashmore Group topped the FTSE 250 with a 23 per cent jump to 225.4 pence sterling – its biggest single-day jump on record – after reporting strong net inflows.
Schroders rose 9.8 per cent after it said annual profit would beat market forecasts.
The money managers collectively powered the investment banks and brokerages index, up 5.3 per cent, its highest in one year, outperforming its peers.
A real estate focused index rallied 2.4 per cent, with Savills up 8.8 per cent at 1,108p following solid annual growth outlook.
Self-storage firm Safestore Holdings was up 6.3 per cent at 817.5p following an update of improved store performance.
Investor 3i Group was up 10 per cent, helped by UBS data pointing to a pickup in sales in France at the group’s discount retailer Action, 3i’s largest portfolio company.
Europe
Shares in Dutch chipmaker ASML soared after Asian giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co reported likely profits. ASML’s shares closed 6 per cent ahead at €1,149.40.
Reuters reported that European corporate earnings could have fallen in the final three months of 2025 as geopolitical uncertainty mounts and markets await a US supreme court decision on the legality of president Donald Trump’s tariffs.
European firms are expected to report a 4.1 per cent drop in 2025 fourth-quarter earnings, on average, according to London Stock Exchange Group Institutional Brokers’ Estimate System, worse than the 3.9 per cent decrease analysts expected a week ago.
“That would be the worst earnings performance in the past seven quarters,” said Reuters.
Meanwhile, Italian lender UniCredit said that recent media reports about its interest in buying a stake in troubled rival Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena were “unjustified.”
Cartier owner Richemont reported that sales rose 4 per cent to €6.4 billion in the three months to December 31st as customers splurged on its watches and jewellery over Christmas, particularly in the US.
Its shares were down 2.4 per cent at 170.55 Swiss francs around close of business, despite news of increased sales spurring a strong start to the day for the stock.
Shares in another European luxury brand, LVMH, were also down on Thursday.
New York
News that chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co will report a 27 per cent boost to profits for the last quarter of 2025 sparked a rebound in tech shares. eased fears about AI and the sustainability of current data-centre spending.
Buyers waded back into high-profile AI shares, with Nvidia leading the way. The S&P 500 had added 0.5 per cent by midafternoon Irish time. The Nasdaq 100 was up 1 per cent. The Russell 2000 index of small firms rose 0.4 per cent. – Additional reporting: Bloomberg, Reuters
