Airbus shares rise as firm says it delivered 84 planes last month
Airbus delivered 84 planes in November, the French firm said Friday, bringing its 2024 deliveries up to 643 so far. The aircraft were delivered to 42 customers, including airlines Emirates and Icelandair.
The company also recorded 30 orders for last month.
In November 2023, Airbus had reported 64 deliveries and 113 orders.
Shares of Airbus were up 1.84% by 10:32 a.m. London time.
Its update came a day after Airbus announced it would cut 2,000 jobs in its defense and space divisions. Earlier this year, the company trimmed its profit guidance, citing supply chain issues.
— Chloe Taylor
French and German stocks rise
By 9 a.m. London time, French and German stocks were on the rise, leaving their London-listed counterparts behind.
The French CAC 40 had added almost 1%, despite ongoing political uncertainty in the country, while Germany’s DAX index was up 0.18%.
Kering and Stellantis led the gains in France, up 4.2% and 3.6% respectively, while the DAX was lifted by Bayer, which added 2.7%, and Volkswagen, which rose by 1.6%.
London’s FTSE 100, meanwhile, was 0.18% lower during early morning deals.
— Chloe Taylor
Shares react to Aviva’s increased bid for Direct Line
Direct Line shares climbed almost 8% following news that it is set to be acquired by fellow British insurer Aviva.
Direct Lines shares were 7.71% higher at 8:16 a.m. London time, hitting a 52-week high, while Aviva stock rose 0.35%.
Direct Line’s board on Friday said it would recommend a formal takeover offer from Aviva to shareholders, after the latter increased its bid for the company by 10%.
Direct Line
The new offer values Direct Line at 275 British pence ($3.51) per share, representing a more-than 73% premium to the closing price on Nov. 27 — the day before news of the initial bid became public.
— Katrina Bishop
Aviva to takeover Direct Line
Direct Line looks set to be acquired by Aviva after the latter increased its bid for its fellow British insurance company.
In a joint statement, the companies said they had reached a preliminary agreement on the terms of a takeover. Direct Line’s board said it would recommend the deal to shareholders if Aviva made a formal offer.
The new offer values Direct Line at 275 British pence ($3.51) per share, representing a more-than 73% premium to the closing price on Nov. 27 — the day before news of the initial bid became public. It represents a 10% increase from Aviva’s initial offer of 250 pence per share in November, which was rejected.
“Direct Line shareholders would own approximately 12.5% of the issued and to be issued share capital of Aviva,” the companies said in a statement.
“The Direct Line Board believes that, in addition to the attractive headline value per share, the combination would provide the opportunity to deliver significant synergies, creating substantial additional value for both sets of shareholders.”
— Katrina Bishop
Opening calls
CNBC Pro: Top picks for 2025: Stocks from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia among Macquarie’s favorites — all with more than 50% upside
Macquarie has named several Asian companies as its top picks for 2025, with predicted gains ranging from 50% to over 80% in their share prices.
The selection spans multiple sectors including technology, automotive, defense, and power utilities, reflecting the investment bank’s positive view on these industries for the coming year.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Ganesh Rao
