European shares opened mostly higher on Wednesday, led by gains in banks and energy stocks, though advances were tempered by declines in automobile and technology shares.
The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.2% to 570.4 points, while local bourses were mixed, with Italy’s benchmark outperforming with a 0.5% gain.
The DAX climbed 0.11% at the open, boosted by Siemens Energy, which jumped 1.81%, while the FTSE 100 edged up 0.14% as Fresnillo gained 3.21%.
The CAC 40 added 0.11%, with ArcelorMittal rising 3.29%, while the Euro Stoxx 50 dipped 0.19%, weighed down by a 3.19% decline in AMSL Holding.
Investors digested the resignation of French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, fueling calls for President Emmanuel Macron to consider an early presidential election.
Market participants also awaited a speech by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde in Luxembourg.
Banking stocks led gains, up 0.7%, with Lloyds, Societe Generale, and BPER Banca among the top performers. Oil and gas names added 0.4%, tracking higher crude prices.
Automakers faced headwinds, with BMW shares falling 5.3% after cutting its 2025 earnings forecast due to revised US tariff assumptions and slower growth in China.
The broader autos index slipped 1.5%, while Mercedes dropped 3.1%.
Technology stocks fell 1.1%, led by ASML and ASMI, after US lawmakers proposed broader restrictions on chipmaking equipment sales to China.
Wall Street on Tuesday
Stocks retreated on Tuesday, giving back some of the gains from Monday’s record-closing highs.
The major averages all finished lower, though off their session lows.
The Nasdaq slid 153.30 points, or 0.7%, to 22,788.36, the S&P 500 fell 25.69 points, or 0.4%, to 6,714.59, and the Dow dipped 91.99 points, or 0.2%, to 46,602.98.
The pullback appeared partly driven by profit-taking after the S&P 500 posted seven consecutive sessions of gains.
Shares of Oracle weighed on the broader market, falling 2.5% after a report from The Information questioned the profitability of the company’s artificial intelligence initiatives.
Lingering concerns over the US government shutdown also contributed to selling pressure.
Lawmakers remain at an impasse on a temporary funding bill.
The shutdown has delayed key economic releases, including the Labor Department’s closely watched monthly jobs report, originally scheduled for last Friday.
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