European Markets Close On Mixed Note

(RTTNews) - European markets closed mixed on Tuesday with investors closely following the developments on the geopolitical front and looking ahead to the monetary policy meetings of several top central banks.

The Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Japan and the Bank of Canada are all set to make their monetary policy announcements this week.

According to the latest updates, United States President Donald Trump is examining a fresh proposal of Iran aimed at halting ongoing hostilities and reopening the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz.

The plan, currently under review by Trump and his national security team, suggests deferring discussions on Iran's nuclear programme to a later stage while prioritising de-escalation.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has announced that it is leaving OPEC, dealing a severe blow to the cartel that coordinates production among many of the world's largest oil producers, particularly those in the Middle East.

The pan European Stoxx 600 fell 0.37%. Germany's DAX dropped 0.27% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged up 0.11%, while France's CAC 40 ended down by 0.46%. Switzerland's SMI settled 0.13% down.

Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal and Spain ended higher.

Belgium, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Türkiye closed weak.

In the UK market, DCC, Airtel Africa, Centrica, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, British American Tobacco, Coca-Cola HBC, Imperial Brands, Associated British Foods, M&G and Intercontinental Hotels Group were among the notable gainers.

Endeavour Mining fell 4.4%. Antofagasta and Anglo American Plc lost 3.4% and 3.1%, respectively. Fresenillo shed 2%.

Taylor Wimpey dropped more than 5%. The U.K. homebuilder flagged underlying price pressure and raised its build-cost inflation expectations for 2026, citing rising energy costs.

Compass Group, Experian, Weir Group, Spirax Group, Croda Interantional, Whitbread, Intertek Group and IMI also declined sharply.

In the German market, Merck, Commerzbank, RWE, E.ON, Fresenius and Allianz posted strong gains.

Qiagen tumbled nearly 11%. Bayer ended lower by nearly 5%. Zalando, Siemens Energy, Henkel, Infineon, Daimler Truck Holding and Heidelberg Materials also closed notably lower.

In the French market, TotalEnergies, Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, Danone, Edenred, Carrefour and Credit Agricole gained 1%-2%.

Air Liquide closed lower by about 3.2% after posting lower-than-expected Q1 revenue. In the first quarter, group revenue dropped 3.5% to 6.79 billion euros from last year's 7.03 billion euros.

The industrial and medical gases company projects higher margin and recurring net profit in fiscal 2026, and higher margin in fiscal 2027.

Bouygues drifted down 3.5%. Kering, Eurofins Scientific, Dassault Systemes, Teleperformance, Capgemini, LVMH, Stellantis and EssilorLuxottica also declined sharply.

On the economic front, a report from the Directorate of Research, Economic Studies and Statistics (DARES) showed initial jobless claims in France increased to 35,600 in March from 17,700 in February.

The number of unemployed persons in France increased to 3109.10 thousand in March from 3073.50 thousand in February of 2026.