AEX closes 0.1 percent lower as France protests weigh

The AEX closed at 1,141 points on October 19, losing 2 points or 0.1 percent, according to The Edge. The index held up better than major European benchmarks as protests in France revived concerns about public finances, ANP via nieuws.nl reported.

BE Semiconductor was the strongest AEX performer, rising 3.4 percent after recovering from last week's losses. JPMorgan Research cut its price target but retained an Overweight rating, De Aandeelhouder reported.

Why did the AEX fall as chip stocks rebounded?

French protests increased concern about the government's ability to reduce its deficit. France's 10-year yield rose 7.3 basis points to 4.857 percent, while the euro traded near 1.1203 USD, The Edge reported.

Chip stocks provided support after a recovery in US artificial intelligence shares. BE Semiconductor, Wolters Kluwer and DSM-Firmenich led the gainers, while banks and other interest-rate-sensitive shares weakened.

Winners and losers in the AEX on October 19

Closing movers on October 19 according to Investing.com:

• BE Semiconductor up 3.4 percent
• Wolters Kluwer up 3.2 percent
• DSM-Firmenich up 2.5 percent
• ING down 1.9 percent
• Adyen down 1.8 percent
• ABN AMRO down 1.7 percent

Declining shares outnumbered advancing shares by 59 to 36, with nine unchanged. The AEX volatility measure was unchanged at 21.09.

What comes next for the AEX

• October 20, 2026, 3:15 a.m. CEST: China's central bank interest-rate decision, IEX.
• October 20, 2026, 6:30 a.m. CEST: Dutch investment data for August, IEX.
• October 20, 2026, 11:00 a.m. CEST: German ZEW economic sentiment index for October, IEX.

AEX price data for October 19, 2026

The AEX closed at 1,141 points on October 19, down 2 points or 0.1 percent from the previous close of 1,143 points, according to The Edge. The previous close was 1,143 points on October 16.

More market reports and analysis on the AEX