European equities trade largely steady near record highs as losses in two major companies offset earlier gains, according to Bloomberg and the Financial Post. Both outlets report that European stocks are near their peak levels but turn subdued during the session. HSBC Holdings Plc declines and Novo Nordisk A/S also falls, and together their declines erase gains that had been seen earlier. Despite the weakness in these individual stocks, the broader market remains close to record territory, suggesting limited spillover from the specific company moves. The reports present a market that is holding steady rather than sharply reversing, with the direction of trading driven by fluctuations in high-weight names. Overall, the coverage points to a near-flat session where negative stock performance from HSBC and Novo Nordisk dampens the index-level momentum, keeping European shares near but not clearly above record levels.