Before the bell: why I’m selling some shares today

Friday the 13th was not an unlucky day on the stock market. Investors in China and the US are taking a bit of a break this week, and mining giant BHP reports results.

Friday the 13th turned out to be just another trading day. Superstitious investors were not rewarded. The S&P 500 managed to post a modest gain of 0.1%, while the Nasdaq limited its loss to 0.2%. Nike (+3.3%), UnitedHealth (+3.1%) and The Walt Disney Company (+3%) recorded solid daily gains, whereas Visa (-3.1%) and Apple (-2.3%) had a weaker session. On a weekly basis, however, the S&P 500 (-1.4%) and the Nasdaq (-2.1%) lost ground, while European markets (-0.2%) managed to hold up relatively well. Particularly notable was the 1.8% weekly gain posted by the Bel20. Brussels owes that strong performance to heavyweights AB InBev and UCB, which rose 5.6% and 5.7% respectively last week. On Friday, gains were also recorded by Belgian REITs Cofinimmo (+2%), Aedifica (+1.8%) and Montea (+1.4%).

In Tokyo, the Topix index is down 0.6%. Data released this morning showed that the Japanese economy grew by just 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the third quarter — far below expectations. The Hong Kong market (+0.5%) is open today but will close on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the Chinese New Year. Wall Street is also closed today in observance of President’s Day. Today, results are expected from BHP, one of the world’s largest mining companies. Thanks to rising commodity prices, the stock has gained 42% over the past 12 months. However, it is down 1.5% this morning on the Sydney exchange.

Selling

Today I will try to sell some shares. I am placing limit orders close to Friday’s closing prices and will attempt to take some profits on Tessenderlo, Barco, Van de Velde and Deceuninck. I have no problem parting with the latter three. Selling Tessenderlo feels slightly more sensitive because I believe the technical chart still looks strong. Twenty-eight euro per share is certainly too cheap. Fortunately, I still hold enough shares in the company. The reason for the sales is the development of the Spaarvarkens House. Last week we received the first quotations and they are — ahem — significantly higher than expected. But we are pressing ahead. During and after our city walk on Saturday, it once again became clear that our Club is much more than just an online community. With the Spaarvarkens House, we mainly want to create a pleasant place where our members (almost) always feel welcome.

Chinese New Year

There is a similarity between Aalst Carnival and the Chinese New Year. Not only do they fall in the same period, but the revelers in both cases are clearly not satisfied with celebrating for just one day. Although the official New Year’s Day in China is tomorrow, celebrations for the new “Year of the Fire Horse” already started yesterday — and they will continue for several more days. In Beijing, there is hope that consumption during this period will exceed expectations. Chinese travelers have already booked 5% more airline tickets than last year, taking advantage of the holiday to visit family members who often live far away. Not only airlines stand to benefit, but also consumer goods providers in China. We are thinking of companies such as Alibaba, JD.com, Tencent and PDD Holdings. Restaurants owned by holding company Yum China are undoubtedly seeing heavy traffic these days as well.

Did you know…

that the current New Year holiday in China lasts no less than nine days, making it the longest Chinese New Year break ever?

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