Nov 3, 2026 · 9 min
Drax bets on data centers as Zalando faces demand doubts
Drax Gains, Zalando Slides, Bayer Rises
The episode shows how infrastructure investment, retail margins, and pharmaceutical growth are driving sharply different market reactions.
- 1Drax shares gained after investors committed £2.5 billion to a data center project using its existing grid connection.
- 2Zalando fell despite broadly in-line results as softer margins and weaker sneaker and sportswear demand raised concerns.
- 3Bayer lifted its annual profit outlook after stronger growth from newer treatments for prostate cancer and kidney disease.
Don't miss
Drax’s existing grid connection becomes the foundation for a £2.5 billion data center project backed by Brookfield Asset Management and the Qatar Investment Authority.
The brief
Drax shares rose after Brookfield Asset Management and the Qatar Investment Authority committed £2.5 billion to a data center project using Drax’s existing grid connection.
The project aims to begin its initial phase by early 2028, making infrastructure capacity the central reason investors reassessed Drax.
Zalando shares fell despite broadly in-line third-quarter results, with analysts citing softer gross margins and possible weakness in sneaker and sportswear demand.
Bayer offered the clearest positive earnings signal, raising its annual profit outlook as newer treatments for prostate cancer and kidney disease gained traction.
A closing tech segment examines how peptides signal biologically and why those mechanisms could have applications in brain-related treatments.
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