European stocks move higher on optimism that U.S.-EU trade deal is imminent

Nokia profit misses expectations, as tariffs and weak dollar weigh on outlook

Finnish telecoms giant Nokia's second-quarter profit came in below expectations, a day after the company warned it would take a hit of up to $364 million this year from tariffs and a weak U.S. dollar.

The firm's second-quarter earnings report, published Thursday, showed a 29% year-on-year drop in comparable operating profit, which came in at 301 million euros.

Analysts had been expecting the figure to hit 360 million euros, according to LSEG data.

“We did have operating headwinds from currency, well of course we hedge … [but] the significance of the currency swing in the quarter was something we felt like we could not recover,” Nokia CEO Justin Hotard told CNBC's “Squawk Box Europe” on Thursday.

Finland-listed shares of Nokia were 0.5% lower by 9:06 a.m. in London (4:06 a.m. ET), extending the 7.6% loss they notched on Wednesday.

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Deutsche Bank posts better-than-expected quarterly profit despite euro strength

Deutsche Bank on Thursday beat expectations on the bottom line and said it was on track to meet full-year targets, despite mixed results within its key investment banking unit and euro gains against the U.S. dollar.

Net profit attributable to shareholders reached 1.485 billion euros ($1.748 billion) in the second quarter, versus a 1.2 billion forecast from Reuters. It compares with a loss of 143 million euros in the June quarter of 2024, when earnings were hit by legal provisions linked to Deutsche Bank's takeover of Postbank.

Across the board, the bank noted an impact from the relative strength of the euro against the U.S. dollar, with Chief Financial Officer James von Moltke describing it to CNBC's Annette Weisbach as the “big thing that's kind of flowing through our numbers.”

Read the full story.

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Moncler's second-quarter sales dip on soft tourism flows, flags tariff price rises

Italian luxury house Moncler posted a dip in second-quarter sales as weak tourist flows weighed on otherwise robust domestic demand in the key U.S. and China markets.

Group revenues fell 2% year-on-year at constant exchange rates to 396.6 million euros ($538.3 million) in the three months to June 30, below the 427.2 million forecast by analysts in an LSEG poll.

The company, known for its ready-to-wear outwear, also flagged an ongoing “difficult global macroeconomic environment” and said that it had moved to slightly raise prices to offset additional tariff costs.

Oil giant TotalEnergies posts 23% fall in second-quarter profit on weaker crude prices

French oil giant TotalEnergies on Thursday reported a significant fall in second-quarter earnings, against a backdrop of lower prices for oil and liquified natural gas.

The energy major posted second-quarter adjusted net income of $3.6 billion, reflecting a 23% drop from the same period a year earlier.

Analysts had expected TotalEnergies' second-quarter adjusted net income to come in at $3.62 billion, according to an LSEG-compiled consensus.

TotalEnergies also confirmed it would continue to offer share buybacks of up to $2 billion in the third quarter.

BNP Paribas confirms guidance

BNP Paribas has confirmed its outlook after booking a rise in second-quarter group revenue to 12.6 billion euros.

The French lender says it expects revenue to accelerate in the second half of the year, driven by its Commercial and Personal Banking business.

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UK, India to sign trade agreement

The U.K. is set to sign its trade agreement with India today, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the country.

U.K. officials say the deal will add almost £5 billion ($6.8 billion) to the British economy.

Under the agreement, India's average charge on U.K. goods will fall from 15% to 3%, while Indian manufacturers will get greater access to the U.K. market.

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Nestle's first-half sales beat expectations as price hikes continue

Nestle on Thursday posted better-than-expected first-half organic sales growth as it leaned on price hikes to offset higher input costs for its coffee and cocoa-related products.

Sales growth at the Nescafe and KitKat maker was up 2.9% over the six-month period, led by price rises of 2.7%, slightly ahead of the 2.5% forecast by analysts in a company compiled consensus.

The world's largest packaged food company said real internal growth of 0.2% reflected “lower consumer demand and the short-term impact of consumers and customers adjusting to price increases.”

The Swiss company continued to flag “increased macroeconomic risks and uncertainties” ahead, but nevertheless maintained its 2025 guidance for organic sales growth to improve versus 2024 and for an underlying trading operating profit margin of 16% or above.

Here are the opening calls

Good morning from London, and welcome to CNBC's live blog covering all the action and business news in European financial markets on Thursday.

Futures data from IG suggest a positive open for European indexes as hopes of a U.S.-EU trade deal rise, with London's FTSE 100 seen opening 0.4% higher, France's CAC 40 up 1.3%, Germany's DAX up 1.1%, and Italy's FTSE MIB 1.24% higher.

European markets rose Wednesday amid hopes that the U.S. and European Union could be closing in on a trade deal. Regional stocks jumped yesterday after the Financial Times reported that the two large trading partners were closing in on a 15% tariff deal.

Optimism that a deal was close rose after President Donald Trump announced that he had completed a “massive Deal” with Japan, and hinted that Europe could be next.

“We have Europe coming in tomorrow, and the next day, we have some other ones coming in,” Trump said late on Tuesday, without specifying details.

ECB decision and a raft of earnings ahead

It's a busy day for central banks and corporates on Thursday.

The European Central Bank is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged as it gauges the trade tariff landscape.

On the earnings front, reports are set to come from BNP, Roche, Nokia, Nestle, Lloyds Banking Group, BT Group, Reckitt Benckiser Group, ITV, Wizz Air, TotalEnergies, Vodafone, Centrica, Michelin, Dassault Systemes, ST Micro, Carrefour, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Boerse, LVMH and more.

On the data front, flash European purchasing managers' index data and Germany's GfK consumer confidence figures are due.