European Stocks Drop on Thursday

2026-03-12 08:35 By Joana Taborda 1 min. read

European stocks traded lower on Thursday, with both the STOXX 50 and the STOXX 600 falling about 0.6%, extending losses from the previous session as oil prices continued to climb and there were no signs of an imminent end to the war with Iran.

Almost all sectors were in negative territory, with consumer cyclicals, financials, and healthcare among the biggest decliners.

BMW shares fell 2.3% after the automaker warned that tariffs are expected to weigh on its 2026 earnings.

Other major decliners included HSBC Holdings (-4.3%), Roche (-3.7%), and LVMH (-1.1%).

Defense stocks, however, with Leonardo rising 7.8% and Rheinmetall up 3.5%.

Elsewhere, Daimler Truck added 0.6% after the company said it expects broadly stable margins in 2026.

Generali rose 0.4% after reporting a 12% increase in annual net profit, while RWE gained 0.8%, outlining a €35 billion expansion plan.

Meanwhile, Zalando jumped more than 5% after announcing a €300 million share buyback program.



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