European Stocks Close On Positive Note Despite Shaky Start

(RTTNews) - Despite a sluggish spell early on in the session, European stocks closed higher on Friday, gaining some strength gradually past noon. Investors assessed the most recent regional and U.S. economic data, and continued to bet on an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in December.

The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.25%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.27%, while Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40, both ended higher by 0.29%. Switzerland's SMI edged up 0.02%.

DAX gained about 3.2% in the week, while the FTSE climbed nearly 2%, and the CAC 40 added 1.15%.

Among other markets in Europe, Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland and Russia closed on firm note.

Austria, Belgium, Norway and Spain edged up marginally.

Finland, Greece, Portugal, Turkiye closed weak, while Sweden ended flat.

In the UK market, Easyjet climbed 3%. Antofagasta moved up 2.53%. Fresnillo, British American Tobacco, BP, IMI, WPP, Informa, Rio Tinto, Entain, Glencore, Bunzl and Shell gained 1 to 2%.

Whitbread tanked 11.5%. Burberry Group ended nearly 3% down. Sainsbury (J), Mondi, 3i Group, Tesco, Babcock International and Hikma Pharmaceuticals lost 1 to 2.2%.

In the German market, Deutsche Boerse gained about 2.5%. The German stock exchange operator said it is in exclusive talks to acquire European fund distribution platform Allfunds Group Plc in a €5.3 billion ($6.1 billion) cash and stock deal.

Infineon, Volkswagen, Symrise, Deutsche Telekom, Siemens Energy, SAP and Scout24 gained 0.7 to 1.7%.

Delivery Hero soared 10%. The food delivery company is facing pressure from several major shareholders to consider selling the company or divesting parts of its business.

Rheinmetall and Daimler Truck Holding ended sharply lower.

In the French market, Stellantis climbed more than 2%. ArcelorMittal, LVMH, Bouygues, Bureau Veritas, BP and STMicroElectronics aslo closed notably higher.

Accor, Renault, Essilor, Kering and Edenred ended on a weak note.

In economic news, data from Destatis showed German retail sales dropped unexpectedly in October, decreasing by 0.3% month-on-month, offsetting the 0.3% increase in September. Economists had forecast a monthly increase of 0.1%.

However, on a yearly basis, retail sales grew 0.9% in October, slightly faster than the 0.8% increase in September.

In nominal terms, retail sales dropped 0.1% from September but increased 2.4% from a year ago.

Germany's import prices slid 1.4% in October from a year ago, after falling 1% in September, a separate data from Destatis showed. Prices have been falling since April.

The annual fall was largely driven by the 15.1% decline in energy prices. Moreover, prices of capital goods and consumer goods were down 0.5% and 1%, respectively.

Month-on-month, import and export prices moved up 0.2% each in October.

Data from statistical office INSEE showed France's economy expanded by 0.5% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2025, accelerating from 0.3% in the previous quarter and confirming preliminary estimates. This marks the sharpest quarterly expansion since the second quarter of 2023. On an annual basis, GDP expanded 0.9%, up from 0.7% in Q2, marking the strongest growth in a year.

France's annual inflation rate held steady at 0.9% in November, unchanged from October and below the 1% forecast, according to preliminary estimates. On a monthly basis, the CPI fell by 0.1%, after a 0.1% rise in October.

Meanwhile, the EU-harmonised CPI rose 0.87% year-on-year, matching October's rate and remaining below the 1% forecast. It decreased by 0.2% from the previous month, following a 0.1% increase in October.

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited showed UK car production fell 23.8% year-on-year in October to 59,010 units, the lowest October output since 1952. The sharp drop was due to the cyberattack in late August on Jaguar Land Rover, the largest carmaker.