Stock Rally Fuels Century’s Best Start for European Block Trades

This year’s unexpected demand for European stocks is helping to drive the region’s largest wave of block sales this century, with bankers anticipating more deals ahead.

From Pfizer Inc. finalizing its Haleon Plc exit to governments disposing of their crisis-era stakes in banks, investors have sold nearly $26 billion worth of European stocks through big-ticket trades in 2025, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Weighed down by weak economic growth prospects and looming fears of US tariffs, most strategists entered 2025 expecting European stocks to once again play second fiddle to their US peers. As it turned out, Europe’s benchmark ...