Europe midday: Shares pare losses, but AI, bond yields weigh

15th Sep 2026 11:49

(Sharecast News) - European shares pared losses by midday on Tuesday as more uncertainty around the artificial‑intelligence IPO pipeline and elevated oil prices spooked investors while the prospects of a Fed rate hike increased as yields surged to their highest level in almost two decades.

The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was down 0.08% to 635 led by gains in Germany (up 0.04%), Spain (0.14%) and Italy (0.08%) while the UK and France both fell 0.18% with the former hit b y weak jobs data.

US shares fell overnight after an interview with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman published over the weekend said the company would not pursue a stock‑market listing this year, calling an IPO "ill‑advised" just a month after CFO Sarah Friar suggested the group would go public by 2027 at the latest.

The comments add to growing questions over how quickly major AI firms will reach public markets.

Separately, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei used an essay released on Saturday to urge the industry to slow the pace of frontier‑model development due to safety risks. He told CBS News that the biggest challenge for any slowdown would be how to respond if China continued to accelerate its own AI efforts.

However, US President Donald Trump angrily swatted aside any concerns. In his usual bellicose fashion, he said: "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"

On bond markets, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield climbed to beyond 5% - its highest level since 2007 - as investors priced in a rate hike on Wednesday at 90%.

Brent crude remained slipped just below $107 a barrel as threats to Saudi exports grew after increasing attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Red Sea facilities.

In economic news, German investor sentiment improved less than expected in September, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the ZEW Center for European Economic Research.

The ZEW economic expectations index ticked up to 34.7 from 34.2 in August, but this was below expectations for a reading of 40.0. The current conditions index rose to -47.1 in September from -61.1 the month before.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com