European defense stocks rise after Selensky-Trump dispute
Shares in the defense industry experienced a strong upswing on Monday, and there are good reasons for this. The trigger was the scandal between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj and US President Donald Trump, which brought talks on a raw materials agreement and security guarantees to a standstill. This uncertainty has prompted investors to bet on defense stocks in the expectation that defense spending in Europe will increase.
Rheinmetall $RHM (-6.84%) reached a new record high in the DAX and closed with an impressive gain of 13.71% at EUR 1,144.50. This means that the share has already gained 80 percent since the beginning of the year. HENSOLDT $HAG also benefited from the general euphoria and closed up 22.25 percent at 64.00 euros. Shares in thyssenkrupp $TKA (-7.57%) rose by 10.57 percent to 8.41 euros, while RENK $ABBV (+1.92%) rose by 18.90 percent to 35.52 euros.
Analysts agree that geopolitical tensions and uncertainty over US policy will boost defense spending in Europe. Jürgen Molnar from RoboMarkets emphasizes that the world has changed after the scandal and that Europe can no longer count on the USA as a reliable partner. JPMorgan analyst David Perry points out that many NATO countries will increase their defense spending in the near future, which could further boost demand for defense stocks.
Forecast: Aramco expects results
Saudi Aramco $2222 is about to announce results for the quarter ending December 31, 2024. Analysts estimate that earnings per share will come in at 9.3 cents, down from 11 cents in the same quarter last year.
For sales, analysts expect a decline to an average of EUR 103 billion, which corresponds to a decrease of 11.69 percent compared to the previous year. Last year, Aramco recorded sales of EUR 117 billion. For the past fiscal year, analysts expect earnings of EUR 0.42 per share, compared with EUR 0.48 per share in the previous year. Total sales are estimated at EUR 450 billion, which also represents a decline compared to last year.
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