Before the bell: Barbie takes a beating

It remains springtime in the Land of the Rising Sun, and the sun is also shining on Philips in the Netherlands.

Yesterday, the Euro Stoxx 50 slipped 0.2% while the Bel20 edged up 0.1%. In the Netherlands, the AEX gained 0.5%. On the Amsterdam exchange, Philips (+11.8%) stood out after surprising investors with better-than-expected results. Specialty chemicals company IMCD (+10.7%) and DSM-Firmenich (+5.5%) also posted strong gains. Exor (+5%), originally Italian but listed in Amsterdam, also shone. The Agnelli family holding was lifted by strong prospects at Ferrari (+10.2%), which surged in Milan. In the United Kingdom, AstraZeneca rose 2.1% as the company continues to see success with its cancer treatments. In the United States, indices closed in the red. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.6%. Financial information provider S&P Global lost 9.7%.

This morning in Asia, Japan is once again leading the way. The Topix is up 1.9% and the Nikkei is climbing 2.3%. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index is 0.4% higher. Later today we will see results from Shopify, Vertiv, Humana, Kraft Heinz, McDonald’s, Oatly and Cisco. US employment figures are also due.

Barbie falls flat

Toymaker Mattel saw more than 30% of its market value evaporate in after-hours trading yesterday. The company missed its own full-year expectations. Revenue rose slightly, but net profit in 2025 came in at 1.41 dollar per share, a 13% decline compared with the previous year. Even Barbie now has to pay when entering the United States, as tariffs weigh on the company. Mattel manufactures its toys abroad, which is squeezing margins. Its major competitor, however, managed to beat expectations. Hasbro reported rising demand in its fantasy and gaming division, an area where Mattel still lags behind. Hasbro shares rose 7.5% yesterday. Over the past ten years, Hasbro’s share price has doubled, significantly outperforming Mattel, which has lost more than half of its market value over the same period.

Winner of the RACE

The red Italian sports car wins the race again — and with it, investors’ hearts. Ferrari shares jumped 10.2% yesterday after the company delivered good news. The Maranello-based firm expects to increase revenue by 5% in 2026 to 7.5 billion euro. The positive outlook is largely driven by Ferrari’s well-filled order book, which now stretches through the end of 2027. Models such as the Amalfi and the 849 Testarossa are selling particularly well. Ferrari also plans to launch six new models this year, further strengthening the order book. One of them will be the fully electric Ferrari Luce. Investors had previously questioned whether the company’s high margins were sustainable. For now, they appear to be, although the share price still trades 35% below its level of a year ago.

Did you know…

that OpenAI acquired the company of former Apple designer Jony Ive last year? OpenAI is now working with Jony Ive on its first hardware product, reportedly a smart pen.

This article was translated from Dutch and was originally published on Spaarvarkens.be.