Trending tickers: Alibaba, Novo Nordisk, Fresnillo, BAE Systems and Marshalls

Alibaba (9988.HK)

Shares in Hong Kong-listed tech and e-commerce company Alibaba (9988.HK) fell 3.3% on Monday, as data showed a slowdown in China's economic growth in the fourth quarter.

The wider Hang Seng index (^HSI) was down 1% on Monday, as official figures showed that China's economy grew by 4.5% in the final quarter. This marked a deceleration from growth of 4.8% in the third quarter and was the lowest figure since the first quarter of 2023.

Read more: Markets dip as Trump flexes tariff threat

"For the entirety of 2025, the economy grew by 5.0%, corroborating an estimate provided by president Xi Jinping during his new year’s eve address and aligning with the growth recorded in 2024," Deutsche Bank (DBK.DE) analysts said in a note on Monday.

However, China's retail sales rose by 0.9% in December year-on-year, which was slightly below expectations of 1% growth. This was also down from an increase of 1.3% recorded in November and represented the weakest growth since December 2022.

Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B.CO)

Macro news was also driving market moves in Europe, following US president Donald Trump's threat to impose a new 10% tariff on Denmark and seven other European countries unless a deal is reached for his takeover of the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday that this 10% levy would kick in on 1 February and would rise to 25% on 1 June, with these tariffs payable "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland".

Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolio

Wealth Club chief investment strategist Susannah Streeter said: "Trump has described tariffs as the most beautiful word in the dictionary, but these latest moves mark an ugly turn of events, given they drive a wedge through the transatlantic alliance."

"Investors are nervous about a deeper trade war breaking out but there will still be hopes that there is room for negotiation."

Denmark's OMX Copenhagen 20 (^OMXC20) index was down 2.4% at the time of writing on Monday, with shares in pharmaceuticals giant Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B.CO) slipping 2.4%.

Copenhagen - Free Realtime Quote•USD

(NOVO-B.CO)

Follow View Quote Details

377.10 -11.80 (-3.03%)

As of 11:27:10 AM GMT+1. Market Open. Advanced Chart

Fresnillo (FRES.L)

As Trump's latest tariff threat weighed on stocks, heightened geopolitical tensions drove demand for gold (GC=F) as a so-called safe-haven asset.

Gold futures (GC=F) surged 1.7% to $4,673 an ounce at the time of writing on Monday morning, while spot gold was up 1.6% to $4,667 per ounce.

Read more: Stocks that are trending today

"The precious metal is holding even more allure as a safe haven as worries spread about the repercussions of the US aggressive trade and geopolitical policies," said Streeter.

Story continues

The jump in gold (GC=F) prices boosted the shares of precious metals miners, with Fresnillo (FRES.L) up 4%, making it the biggest gainer on the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) on Monday morning.

LSE - Delayed Quote•USD

(FRES.L)

Follow View Quote Details

3,904.01 +158.01 (+4.22%)

As of 10:12:07 AM GMT. Market Open. Advanced Chart

BAE Systems (BA.L)

Geopolitical worries also boosted UK-listed defence stocks, even as the FTSE 100 drifted lower on Monday morning.

Shares in BAE Systems (BA.L) were up 2.1% at the time of writing, with Babcock International (BAB.L) rising 2.3%.

Other European defence stocks were also on the rise, with Germany's Rheinmetall (RHM.DE) advancing 2.9% and Italy's Leonardo (LDO.MI) gaining nearly 3%.

LSE - Delayed Quote•USD

(BA.L)

Follow View Quote Details

2,110.00 +22.00 (+1.05%)

As of 10:12:08 AM GMT. Market Open. Advanced Chart

Marshalls (MSLH.L)

On the UK's FTSE 250 (^FTMC), shares in landscaping and building products company Marshalls (MSLH.L) were down 2%, on the back of the firm's latest trading update.

Marshalls reported 2% growth in group revenue for the year at £632m and said it expected adjusted profit before tax to be in line with market expectations. A company-compiled consensus for adjusted profit before tax is is £43.6m with a range of £42m to £44.4m.

Read more: Stocks to watch this week: Netflix, Intel, Burberry, JD Wetherspoon and JD Sports

The company also announced on Monday that it had appointed Simon Bourne as CEO with immediate effect. Bourne had been serving as interim CEO since 27 November.

Mark Crouch, market analyst for eToro, said: "After a year in which Marshalls’ share price has shed more than a third of its value, the landscaping and building products group is still trying to regain its footing, and the latest trading update offers a flicker of defiance."

"Performance across the group, however, remains uneven," he said. "The painful memories of June’s gut-wrenching 96% collapse in landscaping operating profit are still fresh."

LSE - Delayed Quote•USD

(MSLH.L)

Follow View Quote Details

173.20 -4.20 (-2.37%)

As of 10:09:31 AM GMT. Market Open. Advanced Chart

Read more:

Britain's best and worst energy providers revealed How to get your tax return done in time Bank of England's Andrew Bailey says weak growth risks financial instability

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.

View comments