European Stocks Close Mostly Higher On Easing Trade Tensions

(RTTNews) - European stocks closed on a positive note on Monday with investors focusing on the upcoming monetary policy announcements from several central banks, including the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan, and following the developments on U.S.-China trade front.

Concerns about U.S.-China trade tensions have eased a bit following the negotiators from the two nations reaching a preliminary trade framework ahead of the upcoming meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that Beijing plans to delay export restrictions on rare minerals and resume US soyabean purchases.

The pan European Stoxx 600 gained 0.22%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged up 0.09%, Germany's DAX climbed 0.28% and France's CAC 40 ended 0.16% up, while Switzerland's SMI drifted down 0.32%.

Among other markets in Europe, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden ended higher.

Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Russia and Turkiye closed weak, while Belgium, Czech Republic and Poland ended flat.

In the UK market, Standard Chartered gained more than 3%. Polar Capital Technology, St. James's Place, Lloyds Banking Group and Burberry Group gained 2.2 to 2.5%.

Barclays Group, Natwest Group, Scottish Mortgage, Antofagasta, Hiscox, Legal & General, GSK and Schroders also ended notably higher.

Endeavour Mining, Fresnillo, Ashtead Group, Metlen Energy & Metals, Croda International and Entain lost 2 to 5%.

HSBC Holdings ended lower by about 0.5% after announcing a $1.1 billion provision for a Madoff lawsuit appeal loss in its third-quarter results. The litigation is related to investor losses from Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. The case, dating back to 2009, is likely to significantly impact HSBC's third-quarter results. The bank is reportedly planning to pursue a second appeal.

In the German market, Infineon surged 2.3%. Porsche Automobil, Siemens, Deutsche Post, Continental and Allianz gained 1 to 1.5%.

Porsche AG shares gained about 1.3% after the company reported a smaller than expected drop in third-quarter adjusted operating income at 967 million Euros. The carmaker's earnings plunged by nearly 96% in the first nine months of 2025, owing to heavy costs related with scaling back its electric-vehicle strategy and due to their declining sales in China.

Brenntag, Symrise, MTU Aero Engines, Rheinmetall, Beiersdorf, Qiagen and Daimler Truck Holding lost 1 to 2.2%.

In the French market, Schneider Electric gained about 2%. STMicroElectronics, Michelin, Publicis Groupe, Essilor Luxottica, Capgemini and BNP Paribas moved up 1 to 1.5%.

Eurofins Scientific, Teleperformance, Pernod Ricard and Renault lost 1.7 to 2%. Edenred, Kering, Thales and Dassault Systemes also ended notably lower.

In economic news, the Ifo Business Climate Index for Germany rose to 88.4 in October from 87.7 in September, above forecasts of 88. The expectations index rose to 91.6, the highest since February 2022, from 89.7 in the previous month while the current conditions fell to 85.3 from 85.7.

Lending to euro area households increased at the fastest pace since early 2023 but lending to businesses softened in September amid rising risks to economic growth.

Adjusted loans to households grew 2.6% year-on-year in September, following a 2.5% rise in August, data from the European Central Bank showed.

Meanwhile, the annual growth in loans to non-financial corporations eased slightly to 2.9% from 3% in August.

Adjusted loans to the overall private sector expanded 2.8%, unchanged from the previous month. At the same time, claims on the private sector grew at a steady pace of 2.7% in September.

A report from the Confederation of British Industry said distributive trades in the UK increased to -27 Net Balance in October from -29 Net Balance in September.