Major European Markets Closed Slightly Weak

(RTTNews) - The major European markets closed on a negative note on Wednesday, although the downside was just marginal, as stocks found some support at lower levels after having suffered notable losses in recent sessions amid concerns about AI bubble and uncertainty surrounding Fed interest rate moves, and release of some crucial U.S. economic data.

Investors looked ahead to AI major Nvidia's earnings update, and the minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent monetary policy meeting.

The pan European Stoxx 600 edged down 0.03%. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 closed lower by 0.08% and 0.18%, respectively, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 ended 0.47% down. Switzerland's SMI climbed 0.39%.

Most of the other markets in the region closed notably higher. Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Turkiye closed higher.

Finland, Norway and Portugal ended weak.

In the UK market, Fresnillo surged 5.8%. Anglo American Plc, Endeavour Mining and Metlen Energy & Metals also closed with strong gains.

JD Sports Fashion, ICG, Convatec Group, Pershing Square Holdings, IAG, Entain, EasyJet, 3i Group, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, British American Tobacco and Intertek Group gained 1 to 4.5%.

The Sage Group moved up sharply after the enterprise software company reported better-than-expected FY25 results and launched a share repurchase program of up to 300 million-pound-sterling.

BAE Systems ended 4.4% down. Babcock International drifted down 3.4%. St. James's Place, Beazley, Airtel Africa, Persimmon, Berkeley Group Holdings, Auto Trader Group, Diageo, SSE, National Grid and BT Group also ended sharply lower.

Lloyds Banking Group declined sharply. The lender has agreed to acquire fintech company Curve as part of a strategic move to enhance its digital transformation.

In the German market, Daimler Truck Holding, BASF, Heidelberg Materials and Siemens Energy gained 2.4 to 3.3%. Deutsche Post, Zalando, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Brenntag, Vonovia and Qiagen also closed notably higher.

Rheinmetall tumbled more than 6.5%. RWE, Porsche Automobil, Fresenius and Bayer lost 1.1 to 1.7%.

In the French market, ArcelorMittal, Saint Gobain, Hermes International, Legrand, Accor, Vinci, Dassault Systemes, Michelin, Societe Generale and STMicroElectronics closed with sharp to moderate gains.

Kering ended lower by about 3.7%. Thales, Sanofi, Engie and Orange also closed notably lower.

In economic news, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed UK consumer price inflation eased in October, ahead of the Autumn budget announcement. The moderation has eased pressure on households and raised hopes of interest rate cut in December.

The consumer price index logged an annual growth of 3.6% in October, slower than the 3.8% rise in September. However, inflation was slightly faster than economists' forecast of 3.5%.

On a monthly basis, the CPI moved up 0.4%, in line with expectations, after remaining flat in September.

Core inflation that excludes prices of energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, edged down to 3.4% from 3.5% in September

Data from Eurostat showed the Eurozone annual inflation rate held at 2.1% in October, down slightly from 2.2% in September, staying close to the European Central Bank's 2% target.

Among the largest Eurozone economies, inflation slowed in Germany, coming in 2.3% for October, easing from 2.4% a month earlier. France's inflation dropped to 0.8% from 1.1%.

A report from the European Central Bank showed the Eurozone current account surplus narrowed to €38.1 billion in September 2025, down from a revised €43.5 billion a year earlier. Exports climbed 6.7% to €250.0 billion while imports increased more slowly by 4.4% to €215.9 billion.