European Markets Close Slightly Higher

(RTTNews) - The major European markets closed higher on Monday with investors reacting to corporate news, and the developments on the geopolitical front, in addition to awaiting the minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent monetary policy meeting.

The mood in the markets remained cautious and trading volumes were thin amid a lack of fresh data, and due to a holiday in the United States for Presidents' Day.

Investors focused on the Munich Security Conference. Several European leaders and policymakers reiterated the need for greater defense spending to accelerate the continent's strategic autonomy.

The pan European Stoxx 600 edged up 0.13%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.26% and France's CAC 40 crept up 0.06%, while Germany's DAX slid 0.46%. Switzerland's SMI moved up 0.41%.

Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Türkiye closed higher.

Belgium, Denmark, Greece and Iceland ended weak, while Netherlands and Sweden closed flat.

In the UK market, Natwest Group gained 4.8%. On Friday, the lender reported higher fourth-quarter profit, supported by strong growth in total income despite a rise in impairment losses and tax charges.

Barclays, Prudential and Standard Chartered also moved up sharply.

Melrose Industries, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Metlen Energy & Metals, Endeavour Mining, Rolls-Royce Holdings and Airtel Africa gained 2%-4%.

Mondi slid 4.27%. Barratt Redrow, St. James's Place, Relx, Berkeley Group Holdings, Experian, The Sage Group, Imperial Brands and Croda International lost 2%-4%.

In the German market, Zalando, Heidelberg Materials and Deutsche Telekom lost 2%-3%. Commerzbank, Siemens Energy, RWE, Vonovia, Rheinmetall, Deutsche Bank and Allianz also closed notably higher.

Siemens tumbled more than 6%. Brenntag, SAP, Deutsche Boerse, Symrise and Merck lost 1.1%-2.3%.

In the French market, Societe Generale, L'Oreal, Airbus, Thales, ArcelorMittal and Bouygues gained 2%-3.1%.

Veolia Environment, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Safran, Unibail Rodamco, Engie, LVMH and Vinci ended with gains ranging from 0.8% to 1.7%.

Dassault Systemes dropped more than 9%. Kering ended down 4.3%, while EssilorLuxottica, Capgemini, Edenred and Hermes International lost 3%-4%. STMicroelectronics, Schneider Electric, Publicis Groupe, Eurofins Scientific, Saint-Gobain, Renault and Carrefour also ended notably lower.

In economic news, data from Eurostat showed Eurozone industrial production declined for the first time in four months in December, falling by 1.4%, in contrast to the 0.3% increase in November.

The year-on-year increase in industrial production eased to 1.2% in December, from 2.2% in November. A similar pace of slower growth was last reported in August 2025.

In the EU27, industrial production dropped at a faster pace of 0.8% on a monthly basis after falling 0.1% in November. Compared to last year, production was up 1.4%, but weaker than the November's 2% gain.