PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French major bank Societe Generale (SocGen) expects Linde shares to be delisted in the course of the first quarter and sees arms group and automotive supplier Rheinmetall as a successor in Germany's leading Dax index. In the EuroStoxx 50, index expert Yohan Le Jallé expects German utility RWE to return to the eurozone's leading index, according to a report Thursday. In the Stoxx 50, Dutch bank ING is likely to move up, according to him.

Linde shareholders will vote on whether to delist the industrial gases company and plant manufacturer at an extraordinary general meeting on Jan. 18, among other issues. If they give the go-ahead, a hearing on before the Republic of Ireland's Supreme Civil and Criminal Court is expected to take place during the week of Feb. 20, 2023, and Linde would then likely be delisted on March 1, Le Jallé writes. In the event of a rapid delisting, Linde shares would be replaced in the Dax, EuroStoxx and Stoxx 50 indices, as well as in the Stoxx Europe 600, by the highest-placed company not yet included in these indices, which is on the latest monthly selection list.

The SocGen expert also expects the filling and packaging equipment manufacturer Krones to be promoted from the SDax second-tier index to the MDax index of mid-caps if Rheinmetall is promoted to the top stock market league./ck/la/he