Hope for US-Chinese rapprochement lives on + Secret revealed: Trump wants to cut drug prices + Evonik confirms annual target + Formycon starts the year with losses
Hope for US-Chinese rapprochement lives on
- Progress in the tariff conflict between the USA and China should ensure a positive mood on Europe's stock markets on Monday.
- The Dax is likely to continue its record-breaking run, which it resumed on Friday after a break of almost two months.
- Wall Street is also expected to be strong, while the start of the week in Asia was rather subdued.
- According to the White House, the USA has reached an agreement with China on the tariff dispute during talks in Geneva.
- No details were initially given. Both sides announced a statement for Monday.
- The Chinese delegation initially only spoke of a "series of important agreements".
Secret revealed: Trump wants to lower prices for medicines
- The big announcement made by US President Donald Trump is now out:
- He wants to lower the prices of prescription drugs and is taking aim at the pharmaceutical industry.
- He will sign one of the "most consequential decrees" in US history on Monday morning (local time), the Republican announced on his online mouthpiece Truth Social.
- He had previously written there that he would be making "one of the most important" announcements ever.
- Trump had already held out the prospect of an "earth-shattering" announcement last week.
- US media had already speculated that it could be about drug prices.
- Drug prices are an important issue in the USA.
- There is currently no central government price regulation that applies to all medicines.
- The pharmaceutical industry plays the most important role in the question of how much a drug costs - government influence is limited.
- This sometimes leads to enormously high prices - in an international comparison, many medicines in the USA are significantly more expensive.
- In Germany, on the other hand, various forms of state regulation take effect.
- Trump promises significant price reduction Trump sees the USA at a disadvantage because of the high prices.
- The world wonders why prescription drugs are so much more expensive in the USA than in other countries around the world, even though they are produced in the same laboratory by the same company, he wrote.
- "It was always hard to explain and very embarrassing because, in truth, there was no real or justifiable explanation." Trump promised that drug prices in the US would fall by 30 to 80 percent "almost immediately".
- "Worldwide, prices will rise to create balance and - for the first time in many years - bring justice to America!"
- Trump wants to ensure that no more is paid for certain prescription drugs in the USA than in other countries.
- It remains to be seen whether this only applies to drugs covered by the state health insurance program for senior citizens (Medicare) - or whether Trump wants to go one step further with price regulation.
- This could be particularly difficult legally - but pharmaceutical companies are likely to oppose the plan anyway.
- Trump's idea is not new Trump wants to tackle high prices with the "Most Favored Nation" system.
- He had already pushed this unsuccessfully during his first term in office.
- The idea is to link the reimbursement prices for medicines to the lowest price in wealthy comparator countries in order to reduce the high cost of medicines in the USA.
- This would force pharmaceutical companies to accept internationally comparable prices.
- The proposal was never implemented; there was legal and political resistance.
- In Trump's announcement, it now sounded as if it was not just about comparable prices in certain countries.
- Trump wrote that the USA would pay the same price as the country that pays the lowest price for a drug worldwide.
- Trump went on to emphasize: "Campaign contributions can work wonders - but not for me and not for the Republican Party."
- His government will now do the right thing - something the Democrats have been fighting for for years.
- The regulation of drugs was one of the central issues of Trump's predecessor in office, Joe Biden.
- Biden signed a major legislative package in 2022 that also authorized Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices.
- Biden's measure was considered a milestone.
Evonik $EVK (-1,48 %)confirms annual target - operating profit recovers at the start of the year
- Better business with animal feed protein and continued cost-cutting efforts helped Evonik to increase profits in the first quarter.
- In addition, business with products for the paints and coatings industry and with active pharmaceutical ingredients improved.
- The annual profit target has been set. With sales almost unchanged at just under €3.8 billion, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) adjusted for special items rose by 7 percent year-on-year to €560 million, as the MDax-listed company announced on Monday.
- This is slightly less than analysts expected in terms of turnover, but more in terms of profit.
- The bottom line was 233 million euros, compared to 156 million a year ago.
- "Our efficiency efforts are taking effect.
- And this is also urgently needed in view of the renewed economic concerns," says CFO Maike Schuh.
- She and Evonik CEO Christian Kullmann are still targeting an operating profit (EBITDA) of between €2.0 billion and €2.3 billion for the current year, following a significant recovery to almost €2.07 billion in 2024.
Biotech company Formycon $FYB (-1,57 %)starts the year with losses
- A decline in milestone payments and reimbursements for development services weighed on biosimilar manufacturer Formycon at the start of the year.
- However, neither is surprising, as projects are progressing.
- In addition, there is partial price pressure on sales in the USA.
- According to a statement on Monday, turnover in the first quarter fell by 70 percent year-on-year to EUR 5.3 million.
- Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) slipped from minus 5.5 to minus 13.2 million euros.
- The company confirmed its forecast for the current year.
Monday: Stock market dates, economic data, quarterly figures
Singapore stock exchange holiday
- ex-dividend of individual stocks
- Villeroy & Boch AG ex dividend € 0.90
- Draegerwerk AG & Co KGaA ex dividend € 2.03
- Draegerwerk AG & Co KGaA € 1.97
- DMG Mori AG € 1.03
- Quarterly figures / Company dates USA / Asia
- 07:00 Mazda quarterly figures
- 14:00 Fox Corp Quarterly figures
- Quarterly figures / Company dates Europe
- 07:00 Evonik Industries | Unicredit | Procredit | Formycon Quarterly figures
- 07:10 Hypoport quarterly figures
- 07:30 Salzgitter | Adesso | United Internet Quarterly figures
- 07:50 1&1 Quarterly figures
- 09:00 Ionos quarterly figures | Salzgitter analyst conference
- 10:00 Siltronic AGM
- 11:00 Evonik Analyst Conference
- 12:00 United Internet Analyst Conference
- 14:00 Hochtief quarterly figures
- 15:00 Formycon Conference Call
- Economic data
08:00 DE: Domestic Tourism March
15:00 EU: Eurogroup meeting