European shares slip as fresh US trade uncertainty sours sentiment

EUROPEAN shares fell on Monday as renewed uncertainty over US trade policy gripped financial markets after President Donald Trump announced a new blanket tariff rate.

The Stoxx closed 0.5 per cent lower at 627.48 points after logging its biggest weekly jump since early January on Friday. Germany’s exporter-heavy DAX was among the biggest decliners, falling 1.1 per cent.

The pan-European index ended last week with a record high after the US Supreme Court struck down tariffs that Trump had slapped on global economies last year.

Over the weekend, Trump announced a new 10 per cent rate and then lifted it to 15 per cent, sparking ambiguity over the relevance of trade deals, such as those with the European Union. The European Commission has ruled out changes.

“It will continue to be a source of uncertainty for markets as traders attempt to price in the implications of what is still a movable feast,” said Benjamin Picton, senior market strategist at Rabobank.

“All of this is likely to add cost for businesses who need to understand the new rules, litigate to recover illegal import duties and potentially recalibrate their supply chains (again).”

The resurgence in trade tensions with the US over Greenland this year, along with Washington’s attempt to upend the global security order, has pushed the euro zone to forge partnerships with Asia and Latin America, while also seeking greater cooperation within Europe.

On Monday, healthcare shares dropped 1.4 per cent. Danish heavyweight Novo Nordisk plunged 16.5 per cent to the bottom of the Stoxx 600 after its experimental obesity drug CagriSema did not meet the primary endpoint in a trial designed to show it was non-inferior to competitor Eli Lilly’s Tirzepatide in reducing body weight

Industrials led sectoral declines, with Siemens Energy and Airbus weighing it down.

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Financial services lost the most, down 2.1 per cent while energy shares hit a record high tracking gains in oil prices.

Utilities were the biggest gainers, up 1.1 per cent. The index was boosted by a 6.8 per cent jump in Enel after Italy’s biggest utility said it would increase capital expenditure over the next three years, shifting focus to renewables, mainly in Europe and the US.

The broader defence sector lost 1.6 per cent after Reuters reported that Iran has indicated it is prepared to make concessions on its nuclear programme if the US met certain demands.

French defence technology group Exosens shed 9.6 per cent, retreating from a record high hit on Friday, even as it issued a higher medium-term guidance.

Johnson Matthey slumped 16.3 per cent after agreeing to slash the sale price of its catalyst technologies business to Honeywell, after the unit underperformed in fiscal 2025. REUTERS