Squawk Box Europe Express

The U.S. strikes at more than 1,000 Iranian sites including IRGC facilities while Tehran retaliates by hitting the U.S. embassy in Riyadh. President Trump says he is prepared to extend the conflict if necessary. Oil and gas shipping prices surge as Iran claims it has blocked the Strait of Hormuz and vows to hit any vessels attempting to pass through. Qatar, meanwhile, has said it is suspending LNG production. Asian markets suffer a day in the red with the Kospi falling by more than 7 per cent. U.S. and European futures indicate continued selling later today.
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U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran intensify as Tehran retaliates hitting targets across the region including American and British bases. President Trump says the attacks could last for several weeks. Crude prices surge as supply through the Strait of Hormuz come under threat. Futures on both sides of the Atlantic point to a sell-off as investors digest events in the Middle East. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is expected to lead declines on Wall Street.
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The Green Party wins the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester with Labour coming a distant third. The result will pile more pressure and scrutiny on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer ahead of crucial UK local elections in May. Netflix abandons its acquisition deal for Warner Brothers Discovery after it refused to match Paramount’s offer of $31 per share for the group’s entire media portfolio. Netflix shares have moved higher as a result. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has been branded a ‘liar’ with a ‘God complex’ by a senior Pentagon official, increasing tensions between the U.S. government and the A.I. giant regarding the use of its model’s guardrails. And in the banking sector, Barclays and Banco Santander see shares dive following reports the lenders have millions in exposure to a collapsed private UK mortgage provider facing fraud allegations.
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Amid continuing A.I.-related jitters, Nvidia posts another set of stellar quarterly results but Salesforce disappoints with revenue forecasts coming in below analysts’ expectations. However, both companies’ CEOs tell our CNBC colleagues Stateside that market concerns are overblown. Nvidia’s results play their part in a rebound on Wall Street and help tech shares in Asia with the Nikkei closing at a record high. Insurance giant and asset manager Allianz predicts FY operating profit could be as high as €18.4bn – up from almost €17.5bn in 2025.
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President Trump delivers the longest SOTU speech in history to defend his second-term record. Trump highlighted progress made on the economy and hailed the ‘golden age’ of America. Several new tech partnership announcements including from Anthropic boost U.S. software stocks in yesterday’s session and help push Asian equities into the green. UK banking giant HSBC posts a FY profit beat ahead of expectations despite being down on the prior year due to a series of one-off charges. CEO George Elhedery tells our colleagues in Hong Kong the recent shake-up at the lender s beginning to bear fruit.
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