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EasyJet shares jump as Italian shipping firm circles airline business
The Observer
|October 19, 2025
As markets opened on Tuesday, shares in the low-cost airline easyJet spiked, rising 12% as rumours swirled of takeover talks with the Italian shipping giant MSC.
Rumours of an MSC takeover saw easyjet shares spike on Tuesday. Getty
(Getty)
Both parties firmly denied the rumours, which had been reported in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. But shares had risen to their highest since August. What made the story seem so credible?
EasyJet's shares, which have remained low compared with rivals since the pandemic, may provide some explanation. The airline's valuation is "around 60% below pre-Covid levels", said Aarin Chiekrie, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
This story is from the October 19, 2025 edition of The Observer.
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