Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.11
    +1.76 (+2.16%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • DOW

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    56,126.66
    +1,206.20 (+2.20%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • NASDAQ Composite

    16,379.46
    -20.06 (-0.12%)
     
  • UK FTSE All Share

    4,338.05
    +12.12 (+0.28%)
     

European shares dented by weak earnings but Syngenta surges on deal

LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - European shares fell on Wednesday, as weak earnings from some leading companies weighed on markets, although Syngenta (LSE: 0QOP.L - news) surged after ChemChina agreed on a $43 billion bid for the Swiss seeds and pesticides group.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index, which fell 2 percent in the previous session, fell 0.6 percent in early session trading.

The euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index fell 0.8 percent, Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.5 percent while Germany's DAX fell 1 percent.

Finnish state-controlled utility Fortum (Other OTC: FOJCF - news) slumped 8.9 percent after posting a larger-than-expected drop in fourth-quarter earnings, while Dutch telecoms group KPN also fell after reporting worse-than-expected core earnings.

However, Syngenta rose 6.8 percent after China's state-owned ChemChina said it would make an agreed $43 billion bid for the Swiss company, marking the largest ever overseas acquisition by a Chinese company. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Toby Chopra)