11. Aug 2026
Description
(AWP Alliance News) - The opening call for European equities is mixed as Middle East peace negotiations take strain under fresh demands from the US, with oil prices called higher.
Here is what you need to know before the European market open on Tuesday:
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MARKETS
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CAC 40: called up 4.6 points, 0.1%, at 8,730.63
DAX 40: down 4.8 points, 0.02%, at 26,328.68
FTSE 100: called down 10.0 points, 0.1%, at 10,872.50
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Hang Seng: down 0.6% at 25,773.56
S&P/ASX 200: up 0.3% at 9,259.10
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DJIA: closed down 60.95 points, 0.1%, at 53,975.98
S&P 500: closed down 4.53 points, 0.1%, to 7,753.11
Nasdaq Composite: closed down 85.26 points, 0.3%, at 26,605.36
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US 10-year Treasury yield: 4.71% (4.70%)
US 30-year Treasury yield: 5.25% (5.24%)
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EUR: down at USD1.1544 (USD1.1549)
GBP: down at USD1.3512 (USD1.3522)
USD: up at JPY159.17 (JPY158.92)
GOLD: up at USD4,411.89 per ounce (USD4,350.91)
OIL (Brent): up at USD87.48 a barrel (USD86.35)
(changes since previous London equities close)
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ECONOMIC CALENDAR
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Japan. Mountain Day. Financial markets are closed.
10:00 CEST Italy trade balance
11:30 SAST South Africa unemployment
13:00 SAST South Africa manufacturing production
10:00 EDT US existing home sales
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TOP ECONOMIC NEWS
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US President Donald Trump said he would seek conflict compensation from Iran as part of any peace negotiations, citing attacks and killings stretching back decades allegedly backed or perpetrated by Tehran. Negotiations on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz have stalled, and his new demands risk putting a quick agreement further out of reach. Trump's announcement was a direct response to Iran's insistence that US payment of war reparations are a pre-condition to any resolution of the ongoing hostilities. In a later post, Trump also said that the Islamic republic should be responsible for deaths and damage it caused in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Gaza.
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Trump insisted that his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "very good" despite the Israeli leader's rejection of a US-led Gaza plan. After more than a week of gradually escalating criticism, Netanyahu explicitly stated that he opposed the Gaza plan, which called for Israel to begin pulling back forces in tandem with disarmament by Hamas. "The relationship is very good," Trump said in response to a shouted question from a journalist at the end of an Oval Office event.
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The Reserve Bank of Australia's monetary policy board decided to leave the cash rate target unchanged at 4.35%, matching the consensus forecast cited by FXStreet. The decision was unanimous.
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UK retail sales growth eased in July, despite the World Cup and prolonged hot weather, with household budgets remaining stretched. According to British Retail Consortium-KPMG data covering the period from July 5 to August 1, total retail sales increased 1.3% year-on-year in July, compared with growth of 2.5% in July 2025 and a 1.9% rise in June. Growth last month was below the 12-month average of 1.8%. Non-food sales decreased 0.7% year-on-year in July, compared with growth of 1.4% in July 2025. The latest reading was below the 12-month average growth of 0.4%. In-store non-food sales decreased 1.9% year-on-year in July, compared with growth of 1.9% in July 2025.
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Soaring sales of electric vehicles led to the used car market returning to growth in the UK, new figures showed. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said more than two million cars changed hands in the three months to the end of June for the first time since 2021. Some 2.1 million transactions were recorded over that period, up 0.7% year-on-year. This followed a 0.2% decline during the first three months of the year. Sales of used electric cars rose by 67% to 110,761 units in the second quarter.
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Ireland's construction sector activity returned to growth in July, with activity rising at the fastest pace in four months, S&P Global reported. The AIB Ireland construction purchasing managers' index rose to 53.0 points in July from 45.4 points in June.
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Australia business confidence declined in July, survey data from National Australia Bank. The NAB business confidence index fell to minus 6 points in July from minus 5 points in June. Meanwhile, the NAB business conditions index rose to plus four in July from plus three in June.
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Senior US Treasury Department officials met with interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez on Monday, as the instability of the country's electrical grid threatens US plans to increase oil production in the South American country. According to a statement from the Venezuelan presidency, Rodriguez met Monday with US Under Secretary for International Affairs Jonathan Greenstein and Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Jonathan Burke to discuss "the pursuit of stability in the energy market and the reactivation of financial mechanisms," the presidential office said in a readout.
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COMPANY CALENDAR
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Alcon Inc - half year results
Bellway PLC - trading statement
Cancom SE - half year results
Deutsche Wohnen SE - half year results
Genuit Group PLC - half year results
Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC - half year results
International Workplace Group PLC - half year results
Jungheinrich AG - half year results
Lion Finance Group PLC - half year results
RTL Group SA - half year results
Super Micro Computer Inc - full year results
TAG Immobilien AG - half year results
Texas Instruments Inc - dividend payment date
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TOP COMPANY NEWS
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Nvidia announced plans to establsh independent compute financing platforms with leading asset managers, turning Nvidia compute and artificial intelligence infrastructure "into an investable asset class for global capital." The partners include Apollo Global Management, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield Asset Management, Goldman Sachs and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker said the strategic partnerships will mobilize over USD500 billion of third-party capital to buildout artificial intelligence infrastructure over time.
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A federal judge in California ruled against Meta Platforms on Monday for destroying evidence in a case brought by Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest over scam ads using his likeness without permission. The mining tycoon has accused the Menlo Park, California-based firm of allowing ads using his image to promote bogus cryptocurrency investments, and said Meta actively modifies the ads it distributes and profits from them. In his ruling, seen by AFP, Judge P Casey Pitts found that Meta did destroy or allow essential data to be erased, causing harm to the plaintiff. The judge did not, however, find intent to cause harm, instead calling Meta's conduct "gross negligence." Meta has said it is protected by the Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The case is still in its preliminary hearing phase, and Meta is expected to seek to have the case thrown out on immunity grounds at a hearing before Pitts expected by the end of the year.
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National Australia Bank announced senior leadership changes, including the upcoming retirement of Chief Operating Officer Les Matheson. The Melbourne, Australia-based bank said Matheson will retire on September 30, alongside Group Executive Technology & Enterprise Operations Patrick Wright, who will leave the executive team on the same date before serving as special adviser to Chief Executive Officer Andrew Irvine until retiring in the first half of 2027. NAB said responsibilities held by Matheson and Wright will be redistributed through expanded portfolios for two group executives.
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Rocket Lab reported record quarterly revenue as it celebrated "surging" demand, which it said has continued into the third quarter. The Long Beach, California-based aerospace manufacturer and launch services provider reported record revenue of USD234.1 million in the three months to June, up 62% from USD144.5 million a year ago. Its net loss narrowed to USD49.3 million from USD66.4 million. Second quarter basic and diluted loss per share improved to USD0.08 from USD0.13. For the current quarter, Rocket Lab sees revenue between USD250 million and USD265 million and gross margin between 29% and 31%, or between 35% and 37% adjusted.
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Alcon raised full-year earnings and margin guidance after reporting solid sales growth in its second quarter, although profit was held back by a one-off charge. The Geneva, Switzerland-based eye-care products company said it broke even on a net income basis in the three months ended June 30 compared with USD176 million the year prior. Diluted earnings per share amounted to USD0.00 compared to USD0.35. In the quarter, Alcon recorded a pre-tax, non-cash net charge of USD402 million as part of the decision to discontinue the PowerVision programmes following the analysis of the latest clinical study data. Net sales increased 7.8% to USD2.78 billion from USD2.58 billion, or by 7% at constant exchange rates. Looking ahead, Alcon raised its outlook for core operating margin and core diluted EPS. It now expects core operating margin expansion of 90 basis points to 190 bps, raised from 70 bps to 170 bps before. It increased its 2026 forecast for core diluted EPS growth to between 12% to 15% year-on-year from 10% to 13%.
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SGH lifted its dividend even as annual profit edged lower. The Sydney-based diversified company with businesses across industrial services, energy and media said net profit after tax fell 0.4% to AUD920 million in the twelve months to June 30, approximately USD649.0 million, from AUD924 million a year ago. Statutory NPAT jumped 35% to AUD655 million from AUD486 million. Underlying earnings per share decreased to AUD2.26 from AUD2.27. Fully-franked dividend for the year increased 3.2% to 64 Australian cents from 62 cents a year prior. SGH also launched a AUD500 million buyback programme which commenced after they reported annual results.
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Life360 posted rising revenue and falling net income as the company passed 100 million monthly active users. The San Mateo, California-based family safety and location sharing company said second quarter revenue rose 38% year-on-year to USD159.0 million from USD115.4 million. However, net income fell 27% year-on-year to USD5.1 million from USD7.0 million. Earnings per share fell to USD0.06 from USD0.09 the year before.
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Centuria Industrial reported higher annual profit and revenue, supported by strong leasing activity across its industrial property portfolio. The Sydney-based industrial real estate investment trust said attributable profit increased 2.9% to AUD114.1 million in the financial year ended June 30 from AUD110.9 million a year ago. Total revenue jumped 15% to AUD328.8 million from AUD285.6 million. For the June quarter, Centuria declared a dividend of 4.20 Australian cents, up from 4.075 cents in the same quarter a year ago.
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Amotiv swung back to profit as it announced Chief Executive Officer Graeme Whickman will depart later this year as the group begins a leadership transition. The Melbourne, Australia-based automotive parts and accessories group swung to a statutory net profit after tax of AUD75.1 million in the financial year ended June 30 from a AUD106.3 million loss a year prior. Amotiv also swung to 55.8 Australian cents earnings per share from 76.4 cents loss. Revenue increased 2.7% to AUD1.02 billion from AUD997.4 million. Amotiv lifted its full-year dividend by 6.2% to 43.0 Australian cents from 40.5 cents. Meanwhile, Amotiv announced that Managing Director and CEO Whickman will be stepping down in December. Whickman will cease being a director on December 18 as part of the CEO succession process and will take a period of leave until his employment ends in February 2027.
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By Holly Munks, Alliance News reporter
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