iShares MSCI Germany ETF

EWG

Market cap $1.63B

Germany's lower house of parliament on Friday ​approved a bill to ‌overhaul the creaking health insurance system that has drawn fierce ​opposition from drugs companies ​which fear tougher pricing measures ⁠will harm profitability and ​reduce investment.

MFE-MediaForEurope plans to launch a single streaming platform across its European markets ‌by combining technologies developed by its Italian and German businesses as the broadcaster steps up efforts to compete with global digital and advertising giants.

The DAX is singled out as the market most likely to see squeeze-driven gains in the weeks ahead Citi has warned that European stock markets face a growing risk of short squeezes, as investors caught betting against rising prices are forced to buy back their positions. The US bank said global equity positioning remained supportive of further gains, but that regional differences were becoming more pronounced.

The European Central Bank has given eurozone banks four months to develop plans aimed at countering artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cyber threats that could undermine confidence in the financial system and disrupt payment networks. The directive, issued on Tuesday, reflects growing concern among European regulators over the increasing cyber capabilities of advanced AI models.

Eurozone retail sales rebounded in May, highlighting a brighter outlook for consumer demand, driven by sales of food, drinks and tobacco.

Europe's major stock markets ended higher on Friday, with the pan-European STOXX 600 and Germany's DAX reaching fresh record highs as investors welcomed easing expectations for near-term US interest rate hikes and rotated into cyclical sectors. The STOXX 600 climbed 0.7% to close at a record high after touching an intraday peak of 652.35, registering its strongest weekly gain since mid-May.

A jump in energy company profits is set to drive European blue-chip earnings growth in the second quarter, ​overshadowing far weaker gains across the rest of the ‌market, forecasts showed on Thursday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz outlined a package of pension, tax and labour reforms on Thursday, along with measures to cut red tape that he said would boost growth, jobs and competitiveness while ​maintaining social welfare protections.

The unemployment rate matched a record low in May, reflecting continued resilience despite elevated economic disruptions caused by conflict in the Middle East.

Peter Oppenheimer, chief global equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, says the ramp up in spending by hyperscalers will continue to drive earnings growth in other sectors and regions, including Europe. He speaks on Bloomberg Television.