European equity markets recorded modest gains on Wednesday as investors focused on quarterly corporate reports and a notable slowdown in U.K. consumer inflation. At 03:15 ET (08:15 GMT), Germany's DAX was up 0.7%, France's CAC 40 climbed 0.5% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 0.5%.
Markets began the session helped by small advances on Wall Street overnight, although concerns about elevated valuations tied to artificial intelligence and the potential broader economic implications of AI continued to temper enthusiasm. Nevertheless, the earnings season remained the dominant theme for traders and analysts.
Quarterly results underpin market tone
So far this reporting period, roughly 60% of European companies have topped earnings expectations, outpacing a typical quarter in which about 54% beat analyst forecasts, according to data from LSEG. That higher rate of upside surprises provided underlying support for equity prices.
On the corporate front, miners, defense contractors, medical-device suppliers and real estate companies supplied a stream of mixed but market-moving updates:
- Glencore signaled lower full-year earnings after reporting that record-high copper prices were insufficient to offset weaker profitability in its coal operations.
- BAE Systems announced an increase to shareholder distributions after defense orders rose to a record level, with elevated military spending across Europe and the U.S. boosting revenue and cash generation for the company.
- Straumann Group beat fourth-quarter sales estimates and delivered margins in line with its guidance, though it warned that growth in China remains under pressure. The dental-implants group also flagged that currency effects are expected to weigh on reported earnings in 2026.
- Castellum reported a fourth-quarter net loss driven by negative property revaluations even as income from the Nordic real estate firm’s property management operations continued to increase.
U.K. inflation cools, lifting odds of a BoE rate cut
Inflation in the U.K. eased more sharply in January, with consumer prices rising 3.0% year on year, down from 3.4% in December, the Office for National Statistics reported. That reading marks the lowest annual rate since March of last year and increases the probability that the Bank of England will begin loosening policy soon.
Although the headline inflation rate remains above the BoE's 2% objective, the central bank expects price growth to fall close to that target by April as the effect of last year’s increases in utility prices and other government-controlled tariffs drop out of the annual comparison. Following a narrow decision to keep rates unchanged in February, investors largely priced in a March reduction in the benchmark rate to 3.5%.
Inflation cooled in France as well, with consumer prices rising 0.4% year on year in January, down from 0.7% in December.
Oil climbs after pullback amid diplomatic progress
Oil futures edged up on Wednesday after a sharp decline the previous session, as reports of progress in U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations lowered near-term supply disruption concerns. Brent crude rose 0.5% to $67.74 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate added 0.5% to $62.54 a barrel. Benchmark Brent fell nearly 2% on Tuesday, and WTI dropped about 1%.
Reports that Washington and Tehran reached an understanding on key "guiding principles" during talks on Tuesday have raised market expectations that a deal could eventually enable more Iranian crude to return to global markets. Traders continue to watch the situation closely because Iran is a major oil producer and because the country sits adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage through which roughly a fifth of the world’s daily oil consumption is transported.
What investors are watching next
With earnings season still unfolding and fresh macro data continuing to influence rate expectations and commodity prices, market participants are likely to keep weighing company-by-company results against the evolving inflation and geopolitical backdrop.
For now, Europe’s equity indices are reflecting a mix of positive corporate surprises and macro developments that could alter central-bank policy paths and energy-market dynamics in the weeks ahead.