European shares edge higher as strong earnings offset French unrest worries

[BENGALURU] European shares edged higher on Wednesday (Oct 21), as a slate of strong corporate earnings helped even as sentiment remained battered by concerns over violent unrest in France.

Since riots erupted over the weekend in France, the second-largest economy in the eurozone, European stocks slipped about 1 per cent. The country’s government said it would ensure a massive deployment of troops to control the violence.

On Wednesday (Oct 21), investors picked up luxury stocks, riding on eyewear group EssilorLuxottica’s strong results. The company topped the French share benchmark, which rose 0.4 per cent.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.24 per cent at 640.20 points by 0841 GMT.

“Good earnings, of course, would be helpful ... but I don’t think it will be the dominant story,” said Ben Gutteridge, head of market insights at Invesco.

“The politics would sort of continue to be a bit of an anchor on shorter-term performance.”

The automobiles sector fell 1.2 per cent, the most among individual sectors.

The Stoxx 600 is up more than 8 per cent so far in 2026 but remains below the yearly highs it touched in August, as inflation concerns and political jitters have weighed on the index. It has underperformed its US peer S&P 500, which is up 12.7 per cent.

The French story

The unrest in France has added to concerns about the country’s weakening public finances and slowing growth.

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Carrefour dropped 13.3 per cent after the supermarket chain cut its annual earnings forecast, saying riots, looting and curfews had raised costs and disrupted trading at its stores.

Tyre maker Michelin declined 5.4 per cent after reporting a drop in nine-month sales.

Earnings watch

Randstad jumped 19 per cent after the recruitment firm reported organic revenue growth of 3.9 per cent for the third quarter, beating analysts’ average forecast of 2.9 per cent.

DSV gained 7.9 per cent after the transport and logistics firm reported a rise in its third-quarter revenue.

Investors are also awaiting results from SAP, due after European markets close, and Nokia and Barclays on Thursday which could help set the direction for stocks.

On the data front, British inflation rose more than expected in September, increasing expectations that the Bank of England could raise interest rates at its November meeting. UK’s FTSE 100 was flat.

In the eurozone, investors expect the European Central Bank to hold rates steady at its meeting next week, while expecting a rate hike in December, according to LSEG data. REUTERS