Bookies, brewers and airlines predicted to score at Euros

As soccer fans look forward to the European championship in France this summer, investment strategists have an eye on which listed companies could prove to be winners.

French bank Societe Generale got into the spirit by selecting 11 "first-team players" as stocks that could get a boost from the 24-nation tournament in June-July. Its picks comprised gambling firm Paddy Power Betfair , French construction and concession companies Vinci and Eiffage, brewers Carlsberg and Heineken, airlines easyJet, Ryanair and Air France, broadcaster ITV, AccorHotels and sportswear company Adidas.

Among substitutes warming up on the sidelines, it included online bookmaker GVC, broadcaster TF1, bottler Coca Cola Hellenic, Eurotunnel and luxury goods company Kering.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, SocGen reckoned hosts France were worth a flutter for the title with average bookmaker odds of 10/3.

More than 2.5 million fans, including 1.5 million foreign visitors, are expected to attend matches, according to UEFA, European soccer’s governing body. Fans are forecast to spend about €1 billion and games will be seen live in more than 230 territories around the world.

Reuters