European mining and utilities stocks reached fresh all-time highs on Wednesday, surpassing their previous peaks set in 2008, in the latest indication that last year’s rally in regional equities is broadening across sectors.
The basic resources sector has climbed 25 percent since the start of the year, driven by steadily rising prices for precious and industrial metals. The strong performance nearly matches the sector’s total gain recorded in 2025, reflecting renewed investor appetite for commodity-linked equities.
At the same time, the has advanced around 15 percent year to date. Utilities stocks have attracted increased interest as beneficiaries of artificial intelligence-driven demand growth, particularly due to the rising power requirements of data centres. The sector is also seen as part of a broader investor rotation into hard assets.
Mining and utilities are the second and third European industry groups to break longstanding records this week. Earlier, the regional oil and gas index exceeded its previous high from 2007, underscoring the strength of the current sectoral momentum.
