US tariff threats send Hong Kong stock market plummeting + Novo Nordisk secures rights to weight loss and diabetes drugs + Hornbach defies weak consumer sentiment and increases earnings + Bayer is recommended to stop glyphosate sales in the USA + Heidelberg Materials wants to pay more dividends

US tariff threats send Hong Kong stock market plummeting

• Similar to the start of the week, stock markets in East Asia and Australia were mostly little changed on Tuesday.
• The very firm guidance from Wall Street fizzled out.
• In the US, share prices rose sharply on Monday, supported by media reports that the punitive tariffs announced by the Trump administration for the beginning of April will be less drastic than initially announced.
• The planned introduction date of April 2 also no longer appears to be set in stone.
• There is a sharp drop in Hong Kong, with the Hang Seng Index falling by 2 percent.
• Observers point to the US President's announcement to impose punitive tariffs of 25 percent on imports from countries that purchase oil from Venezuela.
• China is one of the countries affected, notes equity strategist Kai Wang from Morningstar.
• Although there is no direct correlation with the Hong Kong stock exchange, he admits, the market reaction could be a kind of "side effect" of the impending risks.
• Other market participants are talking about profit-taking, especially in the technology sector, which had recently benefited from AI fantasies.
• In Shanghai, meanwhile, the Composite Index is up 0.1 percent.

Novo Nordisk $NOVO B (-6,66%)secures rights to weight and diabetes medication

• The Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has secured the rights to a potential next-generation weight loss drug for up to 2 billion US dollars.
• According to a statement on Monday, the Danes are paying an initial 200 million dollars (185 million euros) for the rights to the active ingredient UBT251 from the Chinese company United Laboratories.
• This excludes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
• Depending on certain targets and possible sales figures, up to 1.8 billion dollars may be added at a later date.
• UBT251 is said to target three different mechanisms in the fight against obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
• Studies in early test phases are ongoing.
• It may therefore take some time before approval is granted for the various indications.
• The deal strengthens Novo Nordisk's pipeline of novel drugs for the treatment of diabetes and obesity.
• The Danes were the top dog for a long time, but competition in this lucrative business has been increasing rapidly for some time now.

Hornbach $HBH (-3,78%)defies weak consumer sentiment and posts surprisingly strong earnings growth

• The DIY group Hornbach Holding continued to struggle in the past 2024/25 financial year due to its customers' reluctance to spend.
• However, because the management kept costs firmly under control and lower commodity prices also had a favorable effect, the company increased its operating profit surprisingly significantly.
• In the twelve months to the end of February, earnings adjusted for special items (adjusted EBIT) climbed by 6 percent to 270 million euros, the SDax-listed company announced in Bornheim on Tuesday based on preliminary calculations.
• The Group thus exceeded analysts' profit expectations.
• Albrecht Hornbach, CEO of shareholder Hornbach Management AG, expressed his satisfaction.
• "We look back positively on the results of the past financial year", he said according to the press release.
• "Despite subdued consumer sentiment, especially in Germany, we successfully developed our business further.
• We were able to expand our market share in Germany and other important European markets."
• At EUR 6.2 billion, sales in the period under review were only slightly up on the previous year, meaning Hornbach performed in line with the revenue forecast lowered in December.
• As the largest operating subgroup, the DIY store business posted sales growth of 1.2 percent in the past year, while the builders' merchant business suffered losses of a good six percent due to the weak sector economy in Germany.
• The Board of Management will publish further details on the past financial year and its sales and earnings forecasts for the current year 2025/26 on May 21.

For will Bayer $BAYN (-6,12%)recommended a halt to glyphosate sales in the USA

• Due to the ongoing wave of glyphosate lawsuits, Markus Manns, fund manager at Union Investment, is recommending that Bayer stop selling glyphosate in the USA.
• "If there is no progress in the lobbying activities or the legislative proposals, or if the Supreme Court does not deal with the case, then Bayer must urgently consider stopping glyphosate sales in the USA," Manns told the Rheinische Post.
• "The company and its shareholders cannot tolerate any further large waves of lawsuits."
• Manns further emphasized: "The amount of damages in Georgia is astronomically high and a bitter setback for Bayer's litigation strategy.
• However, the amount will probably be significantly reduced by an appellate court."
• A jury in Georgia has just ordered Bayer to pay more than 2 billion US dollars to a man suffering from cancer. (Rheinische Post)

Heidelberg Materials $HEI (-6,75%)wants to pay more dividends

• The building materials group Heidelberg Materials wants to pay out more to its shareholders despite a decline in profits.
• A dividend of 3.30 euros per share is to be paid for 2024, as the DAX-listed company announced in its annual report on Tuesday.
• This is 30 cents more than in the previous year.
• Analysts had estimated an average of 3.25 euros.
• The company had already presented preliminary full-year figures in February and provided an initial outlook for the current year.
• As already announced, the bottom line for 2024 was a net profit attributable to shareholders of just under EUR 1.8 billion, compared to around EUR 1.9 billion in the previous year.
• The management confirmed the profit target for the current year.
• The Executive Board expects adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 3.25 to 3.55 billion euros for 2025, compared to 3.2 billion euros in the previous year.

Tuesday: Stock market dates, economic data, quarterly figures

• Quarterly figures / Company dates Europe
• 07:00 TAG Immobilien detailed annual results and dividend
• 07:00 Hornbach Holding AG Trading Statement 2024
• 07:30 Jenoptik annual results | Indus Holding Capital Markets Day
• 07:50 Medios annual results
• 11:00 Jenoptik BI-PK
• Without time information: Heidelberg Materials | MTU Aero Engines Annual Report | Tui Capital Markets Day

• Economic data

06:00 EU: Acea, new car registrations, February

08:00 DE: Construction industry, new orders and sales January | Residential real estate prices (house price index) 4Q

10:00 DE: NordLB Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale, annual results

10:00 DE: Ifo Business Climate Index PROGNOSE: 86.6 PREVIOUS: 85.2 Situation assessment PROGNOSE: 85.5 PREVIOUS: 85.0 Business expectations PROGNOSE: 88.0 PREVIOUS: 85.4

11:00 DE: Bundestag, Constituent Session, Berlin

11:30 EU: ECB, allotment of 7-day main refi tender

14:00 HU: Hungary's central bank PROGNOSE: n.a. previous: 6.50%

14:40 US: Fed Governor Kugler, speech on "Economic Landscape and Entrepreneurship"

15:00 BE: Business Climate Index March PROGNOSIS: n.a. previous: -12.3

15:00 US: Consumer Confidence Index March PROGNOSIS: 93.5 previous: 98.3

15:00 US: New Home Sales February FORECAST: +3.0% yoy previous: -10.5% yoy

Hochtief's share price has already gained almost 30 percent in 2025. Whether network centers in the USA or infrastructure in Europe, investors have been buying into the company with great enthusiasm. But in addition to the fantasy, the company is also fundamentally convincing.

In the 2024 financial year, turnover climbed by 20% to around EUR 33.3 billion. Consolidated operating profit rose by over 17% to EUR 625 million, exceeding the upper end of the forecast range of EUR 560 to 610 million. A further increase of 9% to 17% to EUR 680 to 730 million is planned for 2025.

Nobody currently doubts that these targets will be achieved. When US President Trump announced investments of USD 500 billion for AI infrastructure projects in January 2025, the share price rose significantly. This is because Hochtief has a strong presence in the USA. A data center is already being built in Ohio via the subsidiary Turner. The planned special fund for federal infrastructure projects was also a driver for the share price. However, there are two things to bear in mind here: Firstly, this special fund has not yet been approved by the Federal Council and secondly, Hochtief generates 95 percent of its sales outside Europe. For Germany, we estimate a sales share of only 1 to 2 percent.

But things are going well at Hochtief. The figures are impressive proof of this. It is possible that the planned investments by the German government will ensure that the company can benefit noticeably not only from US investments, but also from those in Germany. That would be the best-case scenario. Investors remain on board.

$HOT (-9,67%)

$STR (-11,22%)

$POS (-4,73%)

$GBF (-13,52%)

$CEMEXCPO (-7,02%)

$HEI (-6,75%)

I was inspired by a Focus Money article and because many people here are asking.

I won't be investing myself, it's too short-term for me. But there are still some very interesting companies.

Feel free to write in the comments whether such "copied articles" are of any use to the community or are legally correct :)

The signs of a peace process in Ukraine are solidifying. This is triggering a run on the stock market for shares that could benefit from reconstruction

Regardless of the political interpretation, the stock market has been turning its back on the war for several days now and is betting on the coming peace. Stocks that are likely to benefit from the reconstruction in Ukraine have soared. The UBS Ukraine Reconstruction Index, which comprises 25 of these stocks, has been climbing for days and is at an all-time high. "The effects of a possible ceasefire in Ukraine are still being underestimated on the financial markets," says Bernd Meyer, Chief Investment Strategist and Head of Multi Asset at Berenberg, who is convinced that the rally will continue. Reconstruction requires enormous resources. According to estimates by the World Bank, the costs for this amount to a total of 500 billion dollars - the equivalent of Austria's gross domestic product and more than three times Ukraine's annual economic output before the war. The money is likely to benefit construction companies, suppliers, infrastructure companies and banks in particular. European companies could be the main beneficiaries - especially from neighboring countries such as Poland and Hungary, but also the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.

With Wärtsilä $WRT1V (-4,65%) a provider of technologies for the shipping and energy markets, and Konecranes $KCR (-7,19%) a manufacturer of industrial cranes and drive technology, Finnish companies are also on the list of potential peace beneficiaries - as are Italian companies such as the cement and building materials manufacturer Buzzi $BZU (-7,57%) The list is long. There is a great need for building materials, steel and cables to restore the destroyed infrastructure and energy supply. There is still no thematic fund or ETF on the beneficiaries of the reconstruction in Ukraine. Investors who want to benefit from this are therefore well advised to combine several securities into a portfolio themselves.

Banks: Erste Group Bank $EBS (-8,46%) Powszechna K. Osz $PKO (-10,17%) Santander Polska $SPL (-9,53%) Polska K. Opieki $PEO (-11,35%) Raiffeisen Bank Int.$RBI (-4,99%)

Construction: Wienerberger $WIE (-5,99%) Sniezka Construction $SKA Strabag $STR (-11,22%)

Insulation: Kingspan Group $KRX (-6,82%) Rockwool $ROCK B (-8,13%)

Glass: Cie de Saint-Gobain $SGO (-9,86%)

Cranes: Konecranes $KCR (-7,19%)

Cement: CRH $CRH (-5,59%) Buzzi $BZU (-7,57%) Holcim $HOLN (-6%) Heidelberg Mat. $HEI (-6,75%)

Construction machinery: Caterpillar $CAT (-4,89%)

Mining: Ferrexpo $FXPO (-8,5%) Metso $METSO (-6,07%)

Chemicals: BASF $BAS (-5%)

Industrial gases: Air Liquide $AI (-0,98%)

Infrastructure: Schneider Electric $SU (-8,15%) Rexel $RXL (-6,5%) Wärtsilä $WRT1V (-4,65%) Weir Group $WEIR (-8,5%)

Infrastructure (E): Siemens Energy $ENR (-9,65%) Prysmian $PRY (-9,42%) NKT $NKT (-6,96%) Nexans $NEX (-9,44%)

Agriculture: Kernel $KER (-11,65%)

Logistics(warehouse): Kion $KGX (-13,09%)

Steel: Arcelor Mittal $MT (-7,3%) and for stainless steels Outukompu $OUT1V (-10,35%)

Sanitary technology: Geberit $GEBN (-2,95%)

Specialty chemicals: Evonik $EVK (-4,83%) Arkema $AKE (-6,01%) Wacker Chemie $WCH (-7,57%) Lanxess $LXS (-9,26%)

Heidelberg Materials aims for further growth in operating profit + Hamborner REIT exceeds expectations + Fuel cell specialist SFC Energy expects further growth + Citigroup raises Thyssenkrupp price target and praises Marine IPO

Heidelberg Materials $HEI (-6,75%)aims for further growth after record operating profit

• The building materials group Heidelberg Materials (formerly Heidelbergcement) is optimistic for the current year following a record operating profit.
• "Thanks to our broad geographical positioning and active cost and price management, we were able to more than compensate for declines in demand in individual regions," said CEO Dominik von Achten on Tuesday in Heidelberg.
• Although the construction sector is still characterized by volatility in some regions, the stabilization in the core markets is continuing.
• The management therefore expects earnings growth again in the current year.
• In 2024, turnover remained at the previous year's level of just under EUR 21.2 billion despite declining sales volumes, as the DAX-listed company announced.
• Adjusted EBIT - the so-called RCO - increased by 6 percent to 3.2 billion euros.
• A savings program also contributed to this. This was as much as analysts had expected.
• The bottom line was a profit attributable to shareholders of just under 1.8 billion euros after around 1.9 billion euros in the previous year.
• For the current year, the Executive Board expects adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of between EUR 3.25 billion and EUR 3.55 billion.

Hamborner REIT $HABA (-1,5%)exceeds expectations with operating result

• The commercial real estate specialist Hamborner Reit generated more rental and lease income last year thanks to property acquisitions.
• Rental and leasing income rose by 2 percent year-on-year to EUR 93.0 million in 2024, as the company announced on Tuesday based on preliminary figures.
• However, funds from operations (FFO), an important operating indicator for the real estate sector, fell by 5.5% to EUR 51.6 million.
• Higher expenses for maintenance, personnel and administration also had a negative impact here.
• FFO is slightly above the average analyst estimate.
• The net asset value per share fell by 2.3% year-on-year to EUR 9.79.
• The company had already commented on the outlook and the dividend last week.
• Accordingly, income from rents and leases is expected to fall to between EUR 87.5 million and EUR 89.0 million, primarily due to the sale of properties.
• The expected decline in FFO to between EUR 44.0 million and EUR 46.0 million was also held back by increased maintenance and personnel costs as well as expenses for strategic and regulatory projects.
• As already announced, the dividend is expected to remain at the previous year's level of 48 cents per share.

Fuel cell specialist SFC Energy $F3C (-11,16%)expects further growth

• The fuel cell specialist SFC Energy intends to continue its growth course in the current year.
• Sales are expected to increase by around 11 to 25 percent to between 160.6 million and 180.9 million euros in 2025, the company announced when presenting its preliminary annual figures.
• The strongest growth impetus is likely to come from the North American and Asian regions.
• SFC expects adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to be between 24.7 and 28.2 million euros.
• The company can build on well-filled order books.
• The order backlog rose by 28.6 percent to around 104.6 million euros at the end of the year.
• Thanks to high demand in the fourth quarter, incoming orders increased from 124.8 to 167.7 million euros in 2024.
• Last year, SFC increased its turnover by 22.5% to 144.75 million euros, according to the statement.
• The company thus reached the upper end of its forecast.
• Adjusted EBITDA grew by 45.2 percent to 22 million euros and was better than SFC had recently forecast.

Citigroup raises thyssenkrupp price target $TKA (-15,03%)and praises Marine IPO

• The US bank Citigroup has raised its target price for Thyssenkrupp from 5.50 to 8.50 euros and left its rating at "Buy".
• Cash, price drivers, options - the steel and industrial group has all this practically in abundance, wrote analyst Ephrem Ravi in his reassessment published on Tuesday.
• The only decisive factor for success is implementation.
• The spin-off of the marine division and the further reduction of the steel business could create enormous value.
• The marine division alone could cover the current market capitalization of the entire group.

Tuesday: Stock market dates, economic data, quarterly figures

• ex-dividend of individual stocks
• Compania de Distribucion Integral Logista Holdings EUR 1.53
• CDW Corporation USD 0.63

• Quarterly figures / company dates USA / Asia
• 12:00 Home Depot annual results
• 14:30 Paypal Investor Day
• 17:00 Apple AGM

• Quarterly figures / Company dates Europe
• 07:00 Fresenius Medical Care | Heidelberg Materials | Hamborner Reit Annual results
• 07:30 Raiffeisen Bank International | SFC Energy | Uniper Annual Results
• 08:00 Flatexdegiro Annual results
• 08:30 Uniper Analyst Conference
• 09:00 Flatexdegiro PK
• 10:00 Fresenius Medical Care | Heidelberg Materials BI-PK
• 11:00 Hamborner Reit Analyst and Press Conference | Uniper BI-PK
• 14:00 Fresenius Medical Care | Heidelberg Materials | Flatexdegiro Analyst Conference
• 18:00 ASM International annual figures
• 22:00 Alcon annual figures

Economic data

08:00 DE: GDP (2nd release) 4Q calendar and seasonally adjusted yoy FORECAST: -0.2% yoy 1st release: -0.2% yoy 3rd quarter: +0.1% yoy calendar adjusted yoy FORECAST: -0.2% yoy 1st release: -0.2% yoy 3rd quarter: -0.3% yoy

08:00 DE: Main construction sector, new orders and sales December

08:00 DE: Maastricht ratio (government revenue and expenditure) 2024

11:00 EU: ECB wage index

11:00 DE: Governing Council member Nagel, press conference on the presentation of the Bundesbank Annual Report 2024

11:00 DE: Deutsche Bundesbank, Balance sheet press conference with President Nagel

14:00 UK: ECB Director Schnabel, speech at conference on "The Future of the Central Bank Balance Sheet"

14:00 HU: Hungarian Central Bank results of the Monetary Policy Council

16:00 US: Consumer Confidence Index February FORECAST: 102.4 previous: 104.1

17:45 US: Fed Governor Barr, speech at "Yale Program on Financial Stability" event

19:00 US: Fed Richmond President Barkin, speech at the Rotary Club of Richmond

What stocks are you focusing on for a possible peace in Ukraine? Some building materials stocks, such as $HEI (-6,75%) Heidelberg M. have unfortunately already done well. $WIE (-5,99%) Wienerberger has just started to rise. I am looking forward to your ideas or inputs...

From the $HEI (-6,75%) and $WFC (-6,63%) sales, some cash goes into the clearing account and most of it into a small position $ADBE (-4,21%) . Although the stock has actually been performing well for a long time, an attractive opportunity could now present itself.

Dusted off perfectly and cheaply in the Corona Crash, a small partial position in Wells Fargo goes. As with $HEI (-6,75%) also sold with a massive plus today to take some risk out of the position and put it into a new investment.

After a comparatively short holding period, I reduce my position in what was actually a "boring" investment with a gain of more than 200%. Good timing and a bit of luck probably had a hand in this.

If the war hopefully ends soon, I see potential here, what do you say?

Analyst updates, 05.12.

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• HSBC upgrades SIEMENS to Hold. Target price EUR 185. $SIE (-7,45%)
• DEUTSCHE BANK RESEARCH raises the price target for MUNICH RE from EUR 450 to EUR 535. Hold. $MUV2 (-6,68%)
• DEUTSCHE BANK RESEARCH raises the price target for HANNOVER RÜCK from EUR 255 to EUR 294. Buy. $HNR1 (-5,85%)
• DEUTSCHE BANK RESEARCH raises the price target for TALANX from EUR 70 to EUR 76. Hold. $TLX (-7,19%)
• JEFFERIES raises the price target for ORACLE from 190 USD to 220 USD. Buy. $ORCL (-5,9%)
• HAUCK AUFHÄUSER IB raises the target price for MTU from EUR 264 to EUR 280. Sell. $MTX (-9,58%)
• BARCLAYS upgrades AUTO1 from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raises target price from EUR 9 to EUR 19. $AG1 (-14,21%)
• JPMORGAN raises the price target for HELLOFRESH from EUR 14 to EUR 16. Overweight. $HFG (-6,83%)
• JPMORGAN raises the target price for DELIVERY HERO from EUR 42 to EUR 55. Overweight. $DHER (-3,15%)
• JPMORGAN raises the price target for CTS EVENTIM from EUR 104 to EUR 112. Overweight. $EVD (-2,57%)
• JPMORGAN raises the target price for SCOUT24 from EUR 92 to EUR 105. Overweight. $G24 (-5,81%)
• JPMORGAN raises the target price for JUST EAT TAKEAWAY from GBP 16.02 to GBP 18.32. Overweight. $TKWY (-1,68%)
• JPMORGAN upgrades DELIVEROO from Neutral to Overweight and raises target price from GBP 1.70 to GBP 1.92. $ROO (-2,79%)
• JPMORGAN raises the price target for HEIDELBERG MATERIALS from EUR 150 to EUR 151. Overweight. $HEI (-6,75%)
• JPMORGAN raises the price target for FRAPORT from EUR 49 to EUR 59. Neutral. $FRA (-2,89%)

⬇️⬇️⬇️

• METZLER lowers the price target for HYPOPORT from EUR 220 to EUR 185. Sell. $HYQ (-7,49%)
• ODDO BHF lowers the target price for SCHOTT PHARMA from EUR 38 to EUR 37. Outperform. $1SXP (-6,44%)
• BARCLAYS lowers the target price for RIO TINTO from GBP 61 to GBP 60. Overweight. $RIO (-6,32%)
• JPMORGAN downgrades STRÖER from Overweight to Neutral and lowers target price from EUR 79 to EUR 57. $SAX (-7,66%)