European stocks rise after Fed rate cut; SIG tanks

(Reuters) -European shares nudged up on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered borrowing costs for the first time since December, while shares of SIG plummeted after the Swiss-based company issued a profit warning.

The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.5% to 553.49 points, as of 0715 GMT, in broad-based gains.

Late on Wednesday, the U.S. central bank cut interest rates by an expected quarter of a percentage point, its first dovish policy move since December.

However, the Fed also indicated that it will take a measured approach to lowering borrowing costs for the rest of this year, dampening some optimism.

In Denmark, Novo Nordisk rose 2.6% after data showed an experimental Wegovy pill showed a 16.6% weight-loss in a late-stage study, compared to previous trials of injectable versions of the drug.

On the flip side, SIG Group slid 20% and triggered a trading halt after the Swiss packaging group issued a profit warning for 2025 and suspended its cash dividend.

Britain’s Next lost 5.5% after the fashion retailer said it expects UK sales growth to slow in the second half of the year, which overshadowed results that showed profit in the first half rose 13.8%.

(Reporting by Tristan Veyet in Gdansk, Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru, editing by Eileen Soreng)

tagreuters.com2025binary_LYNXNPEL8H090-VIEWIMAGE