Lates News

European stock markets evaporated 420 billion euros (approximately $481 billion) in the first quarter of this year, with more than half attributed to three former market darlings. LVMH, SAP, and Novo Nordisk have all seen their stock prices plummet by about 30% this year, with their combined market value accounting for 53% of the total market value lost by the STOXX Europe 600 Index components. Their combined weight in the index is only 3%, so their losses far exceed their proportionate weight. These former European market champions have now fallen from grace, facing challenges from industry downturns and new competitive threats, causing their trading prices to be far below their peak levels after entering 2026. After missing out on the general market rally in the first two months of this year, they were also affected by the global plunge triggered by the Iran war in March. Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML was one of the few winners during this period. As the largest company by market value in Europe currently, ASML's stock price rose by over 20% due to demand in the AI industry, increasing its market value by nearly 74 billion euros.