European Equity Capital Markets
Listed & Large Corporates, The Netherlands | Report | November 2024
European stock markets continue to deliver strong performance
Despite ongoing geopolitical unrest, persistent inflation and election uncertainty looming, European stock markets have continued to perform well in 2024. In early 2024, European stock markets equaled the all-time high levels of 2021. Following double digit gains for both the S&P Europe 350 and the AEX in 2023, both indices continued to rise in 2024 year-to-date, with gains of 5.7% and 11.1%, respectively.
This positive trend is supported by increasingly encouraging macroeconomic figures, although the economic outlook for both Europe, but also globally, remains uncertain. Overall, we expect European equity capital markets to remain volatile towards the end of 2024.
European equity capital markets are benefiting from improved market conditions
The European IPO market has shown signs of revival in 2024 following a prolonged slump in 2022 and 2023. Throughout the first ten months of 2024, a total of 79 IPOs were executed raising EUR 16.7bn, representing a significant surge in terms of proceeds as compared to the same period last year. Similar to the European IPO market, European follow-on activity is also benefiting from the improving market conditions. In 2024 year-to-date, multiple European companies successfully tapped the market raising fresh equity.
Fairness opinions in Europe: the bright, the dark, and the messy
Fairness opinions play a vital role in helping boards make informed decisions on complex transactions, they are, however, not without their challenges. The subjectivity in assessing the forecast, potential conflicts of interest, and differences in approach between valuators add layers of complexity that boards must navigate carefully.
Ultimately, fairness opinions should not be viewed as a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather as a tool that requires careful consideration, transparency, and scrutiny to ensure shareholders' best interests are upheld. For boards, understanding the messy, dark, and bright sides of these opinions is key to making sound, informed decisions.
In our latest report for listed and large corporates, we take a closer look at these topics and provide an update on the European M&A and debt markets.
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