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European stocks close lower as banking sector jitters return

This is CNBC's live blog covering European markets.

European stock markets closed lower on Wednesday as concerns resurfaced over the health of the global banking sector.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed 0.8% lower, with healthcare stocks down 2.5%, industrials down 1.4% and household goods down 1.2%.

European markets


London-listed bank Standard Chartered posted a 21% rise in pre-tax profit, ahead of estimates. Its shares were slightly higher, while the European banking sector narrowed earlier losses to close 0.2% lower.

Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed after banking fears were reignited on Wall Street.

That came after shares of First Republic Bank tumbled more than 49% Tuesday after the regional bank posted its latest quarterly results Monday, saying that deposits dropped 40% to $104.5 billion in the first quarter.

U.S. stocks advanced Wednesday after Microsoft earnings came in better than Wall Street expected.

Carrier Global Corp to acquire Viessmann unit in $13.17 billion deal

Max Viessmann, the CEO of Viessmann Group, speaks to CNBC's Annette Weisbach.

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U.S. equities are the least attractive market right now, UBS chief investment officer says

Chief Investment Officer at UBS Mark Haefele discusses the attractiveness of the U.S., European and Asian equity markets and the possibility of interest rate hikes.

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A.I. market could be worth trillions in the long term, analyst says

Cyrus Mewawalla, head of investment research at GlobalData, says that this is a "turning moment" for the artificial intelligence market and discusses where players like Google and Microsoft currently stand within it.

A.I. market could be worth trillions in the long term, analyst says
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Artificial intelligence market could eventually be worth trillions, analyst says

U.S. stock markets open higher

The three major U.S. indexes were up as the trading day kicked off.

The Dow and S&P 500 both added around 0.3% shortly after open. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1% as investors parsed the first batch of Big Tech earnings.

— Alex Harring

‘Make volatility your friend’: CIO highlights attractive sectors amid market fluctuations

'Make volatility your friend': CIO highlights attractive sectors amid market fluctuations
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'Make volatility your friend': CIO highlights attractive sectors amid market fluctuations

Fabiana Fedeli, chief investment officer at M&G Investments, says market volatility is here to stay, but notes that there are certain sectors including tech and utilities, as well as particular geographies like Japan and the U.K., that look attractive.

New biomarkers, technologies and pharma products will fill Covid vacuum: Roche CEO

New biomarkers, technologies and pharma products will fill Covid vacuum: Roche CEO
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Thomas Schinecker, the CEO of Roche, discusses first-quarter earnings, and the new growth developments that will help mitigate the decrease in demand for Covid-19 related products.

U.S. equities are the least attractive market right now, UBS chief investment officer says

U.S. equities are the least attractive market right now, UBS chief investment officer says
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U.S. equities are the least attractive market right now, UBS chief investment officer says

Chief Investment Officer at UBS Mark Haefele discusses the attractiveness of the U.S., European and Asian equity markets and the possibility of interest rate hikes.

Portfolio diversity means growth witnessed despite recessionary pressures, says Novozymes CEO

Portfolio diversity means growth witnessed despite recessionary pressures, says Novozymes CEO
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Ester Baiget, CEO at Novozymes, discusses earnings, and explains the impacts of current macroeconomic conditions on the business.

Stocks on the move: Teleperformance, ASML down; Kindred Group, Temenos up

French digital services company Teleperformance dropped more than 12% after the company said it plans to buy Luxembourg-based Majorel for 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion). Majorel shares soared 46%.

Dutch semiconductor firm ASML fell 9.3% after it reported a significant fall in first-quarter orders after the market close on Tuesday. CEO Benjamin Loh said in a statement the company expected demand in the "memory market" to "remain at low levels in the remainder of the year."

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ASML share price.

At the top of the Stoxx 600 index, online gambling group Kindred climbed 13.5% on its own first-quarter results, which showed a rise in post-tax profit to £25.6 million ($31.9 million) from £6.4 million.

Banking software firm Temenos also saw an earnings boost, up 10.5% after reporting 11% EBIT growth.

— Jenni Reid

Europe stocks open lower

Europe's Stoxx 600 index opened lower and extended losses in early trade, trading down 1% at 8:45 a.m. London time.

Tech stocks dropped 2.1%, industrials were down 2% and banks fell 1.5% as investor sentiment soured on U.S. recession fears and banking sector nerves.

France's CAC 40 was down 1%, Germany's DAX was down 0.85% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 fell 0.5%.

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Stoxx 600 index.

Deposit levels extremely stable at Standard Chartered, says CFO

Standard Chartered's deposits have been stable in aggregate, though there has been movement within areas, the U.K.-listed bank said.

Its results showed first-quarter pretax profit up 21%, ahead of estimates, as higher interest rates boosted cash management income and retail product sales.

The bank has benefited from being "very, very broadly geographically based," Andy Halford, the bank's chief financial officer, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."

Deposit levels extremely stable at Standard Chartered, says CFO
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Deposit levels extremely stable at Standard Chartered, says CFO

On recent banking turmoil and whether it would impact net interest margins as lenders are pushed to pay more to attract deposits, Halford said in his experience deposits were in a "flight to safety" to legacy institutions they see as "trustworthy and reliable," rather than looking for where they can get the highest returns. This would create only a limited impact on the rates it pays, he added.

But he said it was "debatable" whether interest rates would come down as much as markets are currently forecasting for next year.

Standard Chartered shares were up 0.7% at 8:30 a.m. in London, bucking the European banking sector's 0.7% fall.

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Standard Chartered share price.

— Jenni Reid

CNBC Pro: Missed the A.I. rally? HSBC names 4 Chinese stocks set to benefit from the trend

Artificial intelligence (A.I.) related stocks have been on a tear since the start of the year, partly due to a surge in interest in chatbots.

But, for investors who might have missed that run-up in such stocks, HSBC has identified four Chinese stocks that are set to benefit from the growing trend.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Ganesh Rao

First Republic sell-off deepens, stock falls below $9 per share

Shares of First Republic continue to fall in afternoon trading. They were last down 44% and trading under $9 per share before trading was halted for volatility.

The bank said in its earnings release on Monday that it is considering strategic moves to help restructure its balance sheet. CNBC's David Faber reported earlier Tuesday that the next several days were key for the bank as it tries to reconcile a mismatch between its deposits and assets.

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First Republic

— Jesse Pound

First Republic extends losses, now down more than 90% for the year

Shares of First Republic extended their losses to more than 27% on Tuesday morning as investors reacted to a larger-than-expected decline in deposits at the troubled regional bank.

The stock is now down more than 90% year to date.

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First Republic's year-to-date losses crossed 90% on Tuesday.

The stock also set a new intraday low for the year at $11.20 per share. The previous low water mark was $11.52 per share on March 20, according to FactSet.

— Jesse Pound

McDonald's pops as restaurant chain beats Wall Street expectations

Fast food chain McDonald's rose nearly 1% in extended trading after the company reported first-quarter earnings that came in ahead of analysts' expectations.

The company reported $2.63 in adjusted earnings per share, higher than the $2.33 consensus estimate of analysts polled by Refinitiv. Revenue came in at $5.9 billion, which is higher than the $5.59 billion anticipated.

McDonald's also said U.S. traffic rose for the third quarter in a row, continuing to bring in customers despite rising menu prices.

— Alex Harring, Amelia Lucas

CNBC Pro: Thinking of buying tech stocks? Here's how to manage risk, says a fund manager

Markets have been volatile for much of 2022 and this year, thanks to inflation, U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate hikes and the banking crisis.

Tech stocks were in bear territory for much of last year, but have been a bright spot so far in 2023 despite the uncertainty.

Ben Rogoff, a portfolio manager at Polar Capital with 25 years of investing experience, has a strategy for mitigating risk when investing in growth stocks such as tech.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Weizhen Tan

European markets: Here are the opening calls

European markets are expected to open in mixed territory Monday.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 15 points lower at 8,422, Germany's DAX up 23 points at 18,781, France's CAC 8 points higher at 8,201 and Italy's FTSE MIB up 15 points at 34,332, according to data from IG.

Earnings are due from Ferrovial. There are no major data releases.

— Holly Ellyatt