European Defence Shares Surge !17 Feb 2025 16:15
In London, BAE Systems’ shares are up 7.7% in late trading. That adds £2.8bn to its market capitalisation, lifting it from £36.9bn to £39.7bn.
Shares in German arms maker Rheinmetall are up over 10% to a record high, lifting its value from €35.5bn (£29.5bn) to €39bn (£32.5bn), a gain of £3bn.
Thyssenkrupp, which provides systems for submarines, surface ships, and maritime electronics, jumped by 20% – adding around £500m to its value.
France’s Thales jumped 7.2%, taking its value up from €34bn to €36.5bn, up £2bn.
In Italy, aerospace and defence firm Leonardo gained 7.7%, taking its value from €18.2bn to €19.6bn, up £1.1bn.
Sweden’s Saab has surged 15%, adding 20bn Swedish crowns (£1.5bn) to its value.
These moves have lifted the Europe’s aerospace and defence index by 4% to an all-time high today – the index has more than doubled in value since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago.
As covered earlier, European government bond yields – a measure of borrowing costs – have also risen today as investors anticipate higher defence spending.
Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, says:
The markets are once again being driven by geopolitics, this time it’s the bond market. European bond yields have jumped at the start of trading on Monday, as the EU is set to announce an overhaul of defence spending after next week’s German election.