Top global stories this week: GSK, Samsung and HSBC among notable names

US stock indexes ended the week higher, supported by encouraging earnings reports from major U.S. banks.

Out of the 173 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings this week, 142 of them beat EPS estimates, while 127 of those names surpassed revenue expectations.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point in October 2025, aligning with market expectations.

For the week, the S&P 500 (SP500 [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SP500]) and Nasdaq (COMP:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/COMP:IND]) rose 0.2% and 0.6%, while Dow (DJI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DJI]) booked a 0.2% fall.

Across the Atlantic, THE EUROPEAN EQUITIES (STOXX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/STOXX]) ended the week 0.7% lower.

The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged for a third straight meeting, citing a broadly stable inflation outlook.

On the data front, Euro area inflation eased [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4512152-euro-area-inflation-eases-to-21-in-october] in October 2025, matching expectations and moving closer to the ECB’s target.

UK economic growth picked up slightly through August, while retail sales slowed in September as inflation concerns and budget worries dampened spending.

Bank of England monetary policy meeting is due in the upcoming week, where policymakers are widely expected to keep rates on hold.

In the week, London’s FTSE 100 (UKX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/UKX]) equities rose 0.7% while Germany (DAX:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DAX:IND]) and France (CAC:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CAC:IND]) markets slipped 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively.

MAJOR CORPORATE NEWS FROM EUROPE this week:

* Stellantis (STLA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/STLA]) anticipated charges in the second half of the year tied to regulatory, geopolitical, macroeconomic and “other internal developments” overshadowed better-than-expected sales [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4511404-stellantis-slumps-as-anticipated-charges-in-h2-eclipses-strong-q3-sales] for the company in the third quarter.
* Linde (LIN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/LIN]) reported softer-than-expected revenues [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4512138-linde-gaap-eps-of-4_21-beats-by-0_37-revenue-of-8_6b-misses-by-20m] in third quarter.
* Schneider Electric (OTCPK:SBGSF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SBGSF]) reported higher Q3 revenue and reaffirmed 2025 targets, however, growth is seen at the lower end of guidance.
* Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/EADSF]) posted a solid Q3 [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4510598-airbus-boosts-profit-as-jet-deliveries-helicopters-defense-lift-results] and maintained 2025 outlook.
* GSK (GSK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/GSK]) reported Q3 results [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4510294-gsk-rises-on-higher-profit-growth-projected-for-2025] that beat on both lines and updated its earnings growth projection for 2025.
* HSBC (HSBC [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/HSBC]) raised its income outlook [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4509077-hsbc-holdings-q3-beats-on-revenue-by-720m-profit-drops-14] and pledged growth, despite a Q3 profit hit from legal charges.
* Nvidia (NVDA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NVDA]) is investing $1B [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4509503-nokia-shares-jump-on-1b-nvidia-investment-to-grow-ai-networking-cloud-footprint] in Nokia (NOK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NOK]) to integrate each other's technologies.
* Shell (SHEL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SHEL]) announced [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4511044-shell-launches-another-3_5-billion-share-buyback]the commencement of a $3.5 billion share buyback program.

THE ASIA-PACIFIC MARKETS

Asia stocks presented a mixed picture on Friday, reflecting divergent economic trends across the region.

China’s Manufacturing PMI dropped [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4512084-chinas-economic-slowdown-deepens-as-factory-activity-hits-six-month-low-to-490-in-october] in October 2025, falling short of forecasts and hitting its lowest level since April.

In the last week, Chinese markets (SHCOMP [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SHCOMP]) lost 0.4%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 (NKY:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NKY:IND]) rose 4.2%.

Japan's economic data for September 2025 delivered a mixed picture [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4512086-japans-mixed-september-factory-output-soars-retail-sales-labor-lag].

Bank of Japan held [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4510999-bank-of-japan-holds-rates-steady-at-05-as-expected-boosts-growth-forecast] its short-term interest rate at 0.5%, in line with market expectations, while reiterating that future hikes remain contingent on economic conditions.

MAJOR ASIAN CORPORATE NEWS from this week.

* BYD (OTCPK:BYDDF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BYDDF]) (OTCPK:BYDDY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BYDDY]) reported a 33% fall in its third-quarter profit [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4511641-chinas-byd-reports-33-fall-in-q3-profit-amid-intensifying-competition] amid intense price competition and mounting domestic rivalry from both established players and new entrants.
* Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SSNLF]) reported record quarterly revenue [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4511050-samsungs-memory-chip-unit-sales-see-record-high-in-q3-amid-ai-demand] from its core memory chip division, after several disappointing quarters, as the company worked to regain ground in the competitive AI chip market.

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ETFS TO TRACK ASIA & OCEANIA: (NYSEARCA:EWJ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/EWJ#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSE:JEQ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/JEQ#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSEARCA:FXI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/FXI#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NASDAQ:PGJ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/PGJ#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSEARCA:EWH [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/EWH#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSEARCA:DXJ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DXJ#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSE:CAF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CAF#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSEARCA:FXY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/FXY#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSEARCA:YINN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/YINN#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSEARCA:YANG [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/YANG#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NASDAQ:CXSE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CXSE#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews]), (NYSEARCA:KWEB [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/KWEB#hasComeFromMpArticle=false#source=section%3Amain_content%7Cbutton%3Abody_link%7Cfirst_level_url%3Anews])

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