Europe’s Earnings Are Much Stronger Than They Look

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomePMN BusinessEurope's Earnings Are Much Stronger Than They LookEurope Inc. is delivering one of the strongest earnings scorecards in years, setting up regional stocks to scale fresh peaks as analysts turn even more optimistic about a broad range of sectors.Author of the article: You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.cls2cfmdgg)5g9hlt706go2t_media_dl_3.png Bloomberg(Bloomberg) — Europe Inc. is delivering one of the strongest earnings scorecards in years, setting up regional stocks to scale fresh peaks as analysts turn even more optimistic about a broad range of sectors.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe tallies are robust by most metrics: MSCI Europe profits have surged 14%, with more than half the index’s constituents beating estimates for the second quarter. Both figures are the highest since early 2023, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.The commodities sector continues to be a major contributor, thanks to higher oil prices. But even the median stock in the Stoxx 600 has reported a 7% jump in earnings per share against a year earlier, narrowing the gap with its S&P 500 counterpart, figures from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. show.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“European earnings growth remains significantly stronger than perception,” Goldman strategist Peter Oppenheimer said. “Consensus entered the season with a more constructive view than usual but still underestimated the strength of underlying fundamentals.”That’s a sharp change from the past few years, when companies reported almost no increase in profits due to subdued economic growth. The absence of technology heavy-hitters in Europe also benefited US stocks disproportionately.This season, however, investors have handily rewarded regional stocks as the season unfolds. Shares of companies that have topped analysts’ profit estimates have beaten the Stoxx 600 by 1.6 percentage points on average in the next trading session, double the outperformance in the previous quarter, according to Citigroup Inc. data.Moves have been equally extreme for stocks missing estimates. They’ve underperformed the benchmark by 2.3 percentage points in the most negative reaction in four years, the Citi figures show.The index as a whole, however, has been boosted to record highs, with benchmarks including France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX also scaling fresh peaks. The Stoxx 600 has also just outperformed the S&P 500 for a second straight month.“The investment environment in Europe is quite interesting because it’s being earned rather than assumed,” said Violeta Todorova, senior research analyst at Leverage Shares. “That’s a real change from the ‘cheap for a reason’ Europe of the last few years.”The Stoxx 600 now trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 15, above its long-term average of 13, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The benchmark’s relative valuation versus the S&P 500 — while still a discount — is the highest since January 2022.In an encouraging sign, analysts are continuing to raise profit expectations for a broad range of sectors, suggesting further share price gains ahead. Goldman data show that all sectors except basic resources and consumer discretionary received profit upgrades in July, with technology and energy showing the strongest revisions.Alpesh Patel, managing partner at RootBridge Capital, said the brighter earnings outlook has “more power when accompanied by improving economic confidence, greater fiscal spending and a broader mix of financial, industrial, defense and infrastructure businesses.”“Europe does not need to become Silicon Valley; it merely needs to become less disappointing and provide an outlet for all the money looking for a diversifying non-AI, non-US story,” Patel said.This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.