October 30, 2026
European stocks recorded a slight increase in trading today, Thursday, as investors awaited the decisions of the European Central Bank’s monetary policy meeting, in addition to evaluating the companies’ quarterly business results, which were mixed.
By 08:06 GMT, the European Stoxx 600 index rose by 0.11%, reaching the level of 644.80 points.
The markets are awaiting the decision of the European Central Bank, which is expected to keep interest rates unchanged at the level of 2.5%, amid great interest in the expected statements of its president, Christine Lagarde, regarding the French bond crisis and her professional future in her position.
In the corporate market, business results continued to be the main driver of investor sentiment. Shell announced net profits amounting to $10.81 billion during the third quarter, exceeding market expectations and recording its highest level since 2022, in parallel with the announcement of an increase in share repurchases, which pushed its stock to rise by 2.6%.
This performance was supported by a 1% rise in the energy sector, coinciding with a rise in the British Financial Times 100 Index by 0.3%. Airbus shares also jumped by 3.2%, supported by the company maintaining its annual expectations and production plans, despite recording mixed results in the third quarter.
On the other hand, the technology sector recorded a decline of 0.7%, affected by the weakness affecting the sector’s stocks globally, following the decline of “Alphabet” shares by 10.8% in trading before the opening of the American market, following the failure of its revenues to reach targets and the increase in cash spending directed towards the infrastructure of artificial intelligence technologies.
