Before the bell: a worry-free future

European inflation surprised to the downside in May. Two Belgian healthcare real estate firms merge into Europe’s largest. Netflix crosses a new milestone.

While the Bel20 was flat, the average European stock gained 0.4% yesterday. The biggest winners in the Euro Stoxx 50 were Stellantis (+2.6%), Airbus Group (+2.4%), and SAP (+2%). In Brussels, bpost jumped 6.8% after French logistics firm Staci was brought in to help turn around the struggling postal group. Meanwhile, Eurozone inflation fell to 1.9% in May, dropping below the European Central Bank’s 2% target for the first time in seven months. This gives policymakers room to cut interest rates by another 25 basis points tomorrow. Across the Atlantic, the S&P 500 gained 0.6%, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.8%. Shares of Nvidia rose nearly 3%, lifting the broader US tech index.

This morning, new 50% import tariffs on steel and aluminum officially came into force in the United States, affecting all foreign suppliers except the United Kingdom. In Asia, Japan’s Topix and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index both rose by around 0.5%. In the Eurozone, PMI data for the services sector will be released, and in France, Rémy Cointreau will report earnings. In the US, Dollar Tree reports before the bell, while MongoDB and Five Below report after the close.

A tango in the nursing home

Since early May, Belgian healthcare real estate players Aedifica and Cofinimmo have been engaged in a corporate courtship that has now led to a merger. Initially, Aedifica offered a 3.1 billion euro all-stock deal, proposing 1.16 Aedifica shares for every Cofinimmo share. Cofinimmo pushed back, suggesting 1.21 shares instead. The companies have now met in the middle, agreeing on a swap ratio of 1.185 Aedifica shares per Cofinimmo share. The deal creates Europe’s largest healthcare property group. Aedifica CEO Stefaan Gielens will lead the combined entity, supported by five independent non-executive board members from each company. Shareholders welcomed the news: Aedifica shares rose 0.5%, while Cofinimmo gained 3%.

Trinket shops

The growth of Chinese discount chain MINISO, founded in 2013 by entrepreneur Ye Guofu, has been remarkable. The stores offer low-priced goods ranging from homeware to toys. By the end of 2024, the company had more than 7,700 locations worldwide. While it hasn’t yet entered Belgium, MINISO is already present in the Netherlands and France. Since its IPO in summer 2022, the company’s share price on the Hong Kong stock exchange has climbed nearly 170%. Now, MINISO plans to spin off its toy division Top Toy, inspired by another listed Chinese toymaker: Pop Mart, famous for its blind-box collectible toys. Pop Mart shares have surged 13x since early last year due to rising demand. Both companies are listed in Hong Kong and are available via Saxo Bank in lots of 200 shares. At HKD 35 per share (just under 4 euro), the minimum investment is less than 800 euro.

Did you know…

that Netflix has surpassed 500 billion dollar in market value for the first time? Since the start of the US trade war on April 2, the streaming giant’s share price has jumped over 23%. Its digital nature has helped it remain unaffected by the new tariffs — at least for now.

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