EU Stock Markets Today (16.12.2025): STOXX 600 Holds Steady as Banks Rise, Defence Stocks Slide Ahead of Key U.S. Jobs Data
European stock markets were largely subdued on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, as investors kept risk-taking in check ahead of a pivotal U.S. employment report and a packed week of central-bank decisions. Beneath the calm headline moves, sector rotation was pronounced: European bank and healthcare shares advanced, while defence and technology stocks dropped sharply—dragged lower by shifting geopolitics and persistent valuation concerns in mega-cap tech. Reuters+1 The tone across EU markets today is best described as “wait-and-see.” Traders are bracing for a combined October-and-November U.S. jobs report—delayed by a prolonged U.S. government shutdown—while also positioning for the European Central Bank’s meeting