The AEX price is under heavy pressure on Tuesday. The Dutch stock market index opens more than 1 percent lower and drops towards 932 points, in line with deep losses on the Asian markets. Investors worldwide are switching to risk-off, while cryptos such as Bitcoin are also falling heavily.
AkzoNobel surprises with mega merger
The biggest news on the Damrak comes from AkzoNobel, which confirms its merger with the American Axalta. Axalta shareholders will receive 0.6539 AkzoNobel shares, while AkzoNobel itself will pay out an additional dividend worth 2.5 billion euros minus regular dividends in 2026.
The merger means that AkzoNobel will disappear as a name from the AEX, a remarkable development for one of Amsterdam’s most iconic stock exchange funds. The new merged company will formally become Dutch, but the Amsterdam listing will disappear upon shareholder approval.
The AEX price is reacting nervously: sentiment is being further depressed by broader concerns in Europe and the US.
While almost all European stock exchanges turn red, Rheinmetall is the standout winner. At the investor day, the German defense giant presented extremely ambitious expectations:
- A turnover growth of more than 30 percent per year
- Up to a turnover of 50 billion euros in 2030
- Gross margins above 20 percent
- And a restructuring with two new divisions: Air Defense and Naval
The share is up more than 3 percent, making it the best performing name within both the DAX and the Euro Stoxx 50.
Broader sentiment: nervousness rising
Investors remain on hold for the time being, but surprisingly enough, the crypto market is holding up relatively better today than the stock markets. While Bitcoin is declining slightly, several major altcoins are actually recording green numbers. Ethereum (ETH) is climbing cautiously, XRP and Cardano are higher, and Solana even stands out with a strong plus of more than 5 percent. The risk-off mood therefore seems to be mainly concentrated on shares, not on crypto.
Yet nervousness remains evident in the broader markets. Tomorrow, Nvidia will present its quarterly results, a moment that could be crucial for the entire AI rally. The postponed US jobs reports will also follow on Thursday, which could put renewed pressure on the markets. In Europe, too, financials in particular are performing poorly, which means that the AEX continues to search for a price and investors see risks piling up on all sides.
Source: https://newsbit.nl/aex-koers-duikt-omlaag-terwijl-akzonobel-fuseert-en-rheinmetall-schittert/
