Major European Markets End Mixed As Investors React To Earnings, Economic Data

(RTTNews) - The major European markets closed mixed on Friday even as most of the other markets across the continent ended notably lower, as investors reacted to a slew of corporate earnings announcements and the latest batch of regional economic data.

Higher oil prices and weakness in the tech sector due to renewed uncertainty about returns on AI-related investments hurt sentiment. Disappointing earnings updates from Amazon and Intel weighed as well.

Brent crude front-month futures rose above $114 a barrel, gaining about 3%, raising concerns about inflation and economic slowdown.

The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down 0.36%. Germany's DAX settled lower by 0.85%. France's CAC 40 ended flat, while the UK's FTSE 100 edged up 0.07%. Switzerland's SMI finished with a gain of 0.36%.

Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye ended sharp to moderately lower.

Greece edged down marginally. Denmark, Norway and Russia closed on firm note, while Belgium ended flat.

In the UK market, Natwest Group tumbled nearly 9% after profit attributable to ordinary shareholders dropped 4.1% to 1.532 billion pounds from 1.598 billion pounds a year ago. Earnings per share were 19.1 pence, down from 19.6 pence last year.

Lloyds Group shed 5.2% and Barclays Group lost nearly 4%, while Standard Chartered drifted lower by 2.5%.

Computacenter, Polar Capital Technology Trust, Airtel Africa, Lion Finance, Scottish Mortgage, Ig Group Holdings, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Ithaca Energy, Weir Group and St. James's Place lost 3%-6%.

Endeavour Mining, Fresnillo and Antofagasta ended lower by 5.3%, 5.2% and 4.5%, respectively. Anglo American Plc shed 4.2% and Glencore ended 2.7% down, while Rio Tinto closed 1.8% down.

AstraZeneca rallied 7% after profit rose more than expected in the third quarter. The drugmaker reported that its third quarter profit attributable to owners of the Parent increased to $3.12 billion from $2.53 billion, prior year. Diluted earnings per $0.25 Ordinary Share was $2.00 compared to $1.62. GSK ended 2.2% up.

BT Group jumped 6.7%. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners climbed 3.3%. Diageo also ended 3.3% up. Relx, Reckitt Benckiser, Sainsbury (J), Unilever, Associated British Foods, Vodafone Group, Marks & Spencer, AutoTrader Group, Experian, Prudential, Tesco and British American Tobacco also moved up sharply.

BP moved modestly higher after reporting profits of $8.46 billion, well above analyst estimates, supported by strong refining margins.

In the German market, Siemens Energy shed more than 7%. Infineon lost 6.7%. Deutsche Bank, Hochtief, Siemens, Fresenius Medical Care, Continental, RWE, MTU Aero Engines, Commerzbank, Rheinmetall and Heidelberg Materials lost 1%-3.3%.

Shares of sportswear maker Puma climbed nearly 6% after gross margins improved in the third quarter. For the three-month period, the company posted a net loss of EUR 54.9 million, or EUR 0.37 per share, less than a net loss of EUR 62.3 million, or EUR 0.42 per share in the same period last year.

Bayer climbed 4.7%. Scout24, Beiersdorf, Henkel and Hannover RE gained 2%-2.5%.

Deutsche Telekom, Munich RE, Deutsche Boerse, Fresenius, SAP, Symrise, Vonovia and Adidas also closed with notable gains.

In the French market, STMicroelectronics fell 5.1%. Schneider Electric dropped 4%, while Legrand, Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, Airbus and ArcelorMittal lost 2%-3%.

Credit Agricole dropped more than 2% despite reporting higher profit for the third quarter.

Stellantis, Renault, Accor, Safran, Michelin, Thales, Bouygues and Saint-Gobain also closed weak.

Sanofi moved up 5% after clocking stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings and lifting its FY26 outlook.

Capgemini gained 3.5% after the IT consulting group upgraded its 2026 financial targets after reporting a 12% rise in third-quarter revenue.

EssilorLuxottica, Pernod Ricard, L'Oreal, Hermes International and Air Liquide gained 2%-3.7%. Danone, Kering, Dassault Systemes and TotalEnergies also ended notably higher.

Flash data from Destatis revealed the German economy expanded more than expected in the third quarter, with Gross National Product growing 0.2% from a quarter ago, compared to the 0.3% expansion posted in the second quarter. Economists had forecast a quarterly growth of 0.1%.

On a yearly basis, calendar-adjusted GDP logged an annual growth of 1.2% after rising 1% in the preceding period. GDP was forecast to grow 1.1%.

Germany's import prices surged 10.4% year-on-year in September, accelerating from 8.3% in the previous month and exceeding market expectations of 10.3%.

Germany's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4% in October, in line with market expectations and holding at its highest level since 2020.

Preliminary data from the statistical office INSEE showed France's gross domestic product fell 0.1% sequentially after stagnating in the second quarter. Economists had forecast the economy to expand 0.1%.

France's annual inflation rate rose to 3.4% in October, picking up from 3.1% in September and overshooting expectations of 3.2%, according to preliminary estimates. This marked the highest reading since December 2023.

French domestic producer prices rose 1.7% month-on-month in September, accelerating from 1% in the previous month. This marked the highest reading since March. On a yearly basis, producer prices climbed 6.8%, up from an upwardly revised 4.9% in August, marking the highest level since March 2023.

A report from Nationwide Building Society showed the UK Nationwide House Price Index rose stalled from a month earlier in October 2026, defying expectations of a 0.1% decline, and following a revised 0.3% decrease in September.