Business

A new treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer could soon become available in the Netherlands after extending patient survival and outperforming chemotherapy in clinical trials.

Albert Heijn has resumed deliveries of fresh and non-perishable products across the Netherlands, although some stores are still experiencing limited availability following a cybersecurity incident. Online ordering and customer services continue to remain unavailable.

Fastned is accelerating the rollout of new charging stations across Europe, backed by growing demand for electric vehicles and a sharp increase in charging revenues.

De Nederlandsche Bank has renewed its call to abolish mortgage interest tax relief, with Director Olaf Sleijpen arguing that property market cooling does not alter the fundamental economic case for scrapping the policy. Speaking at the University of Amsterdam, Sleijpen stressed that the long-standing tax break artificially inflates house prices and unfairly favours homeowners over renters, adding that the Dutch economy could comfortably handle a drop in property values and lamenting a missed opportunity to phase out the relief when interest rates were ultra-low.

The Amsterdam AEX index closed Friday at a new record high of 1,130.95 points, led by a 5.6 per cent surge in ArcelorMittal following a broker upgrade from UBS. Gains across professional publishers and broader European bourses helped offset weakness in semiconductor stocks ASML, ASMI, and Besi—which slipped up to 1.8 per cent following reports of weaker-than-expected OpenAI revenue—while troubled electric bus manufacturer Ebusco crashed 16.5 per cent over ongoing going-concern fears.

Dutch industrial output grew by 12 per cent year-on-year in August, marking its fastest pace of expansion in over four years behind a global boom in artificial intelligence technology. Driven by strong global demand for ASML's advanced chipmaking machinery, the country's equipment manufacturing sector jumped by over 45 per cent, boosting overall factory production and pushing Dutch producer confidence to a multi-year high despite a 4 per cent contraction in the chemical industry.

Amsterdam-listed chipmakers ASML, ASMI, and Besi fell up to 1 per cent on Friday following reports that OpenAI's revenue missed investor expectations, reigniting valuation fears across the AI sector. Despite the tech drag, broader European markets held firm, with the AEX rising 0.5 per cent, even as falling oil prices pulled Shell down 1.4 per cent and electric bus manufacturer Ebusco plummeted 14.5 per cent amid severe liquidity warnings.

Food prices are expected to continue climbing in the Netherlands next year, with restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, and specialty stores all facing higher costs as consumers become increasingly price-conscious.