European Markets Close Weak After Cautious Session

(RTTNews) - European markets closed weak on Friday, as investors reacted to a slew of earnings updates, regional economic data, and continued to assess the recent policy announcements from major central banks, and the developments on the trade front.

The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down by 0.51%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 both closed lower by 0.44%, and Germany's DAX ended 0.67% down. Switzerland's SMI lost 0.61%.

Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia and Sweden ended weak.

Austria, Czech Republic, Norway and Turkiye closed higher, while Ireland and Spain ended flat.

In the UK market, WPP closed down by 5%. Auto Trader Group, Burberry Group, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Whitbread, Hiscoz and Barratt Redrow lost 2 to 3.51%.

Smith & Nephew climbed 2.78%. Metlen Energy & Metals moved up by 2.1%. BT Group, Babcock International, Diageo, Haleon, Easyjet, Vodafone Group and Hikma Pharmaceuticals also closed on firm note.

In the German market, Allianz, Munich RE, Hannover Rueck, Symrise, Adidas, Deutsche Telekom, Vonovia, E.ON, Zalando and Scout24 lost 1 to 2%.

Qiagen, Merck, Commerzbank and Siemens Energy posted notable gains.

In the French market, AXA ended more than 4% down, after reporting a 6% in gross written premiums and other revenues for the first nine months of the year.

Saint Gobain closed nearly 4% down. Edenred lost about 3.6% and Kering closed lower by 2.5%.

Veolia Environment, Schneider Electric, Air Liquide, Accor, Michelin and Hermes International lost 1 to 2%.

Societe Generale climbed more than 3% and Capgemini gained about 2.5%. Renault, Eurofins Scientific and Safran posted moderate gains.

Data from the federal statistical office Destatis showed Germany's retail sales rose 2% month-over-month in September, after a revised 0.5% drop in the previous month. September's reading marked the first monthly increase since June. On an annual basis, retail sales grew 0.2% in September, after a downwardly revised 1.4% increase in August, and registering the slowest pace of increase in 14 months.

Data from Eurostat showed euro area consumer price inflation eased to 2.1% in October, down from 2.2% in September, according to preliminary data. The consumer price index increased 0.2% month-over-month in October, following a 0.1% rise in September.

Annual core inflation rate in the euro area which excludes prices of energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, was at 2.4% in October, the same as in September.

data from INSEE showed the annual inflation rate in France eased to 1% in October, down from 1.2% in September and below expectations of 1.1%, according to preliminary estimates.

On a monthly basis, the CPI edged up 0.1%, following a 1.0% drop in September, in line with forecasts, largely reflecting higher prices for services and manufactured goods.

Meanwhile, producer prices in the French domestic market fell by 0.2% month-over-month in September 2025, the same as in the previous period. On an annual basis, producer prices rose modestly by 0.1%, unchanged from the previous month, supported by moderate gains in manufactured products. source: INSEE, France

Eurozone inflation eased slightly in October, due largely to the fall in energy prices, flash estimate from Eurostat showed.

The harmonized index of consumer prices rose 2.1% on a yearly basis, following a 2.2% rise in September. Inflation came in line with expectations.

Core inflation that excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco held steady at 2.4% in October. The core rate was expected to slow to 2.3%.

Data from the Nationwide Building Society showed UK house prices increased at a slower pace in October as buyers became cautious ahead of the budget.

House price posted a monthly growth of 0.3% in October, slower than the 0.5% rise seen a month ago, the data said. Nonetheless, the figure was better than the forecast of nil growth.

On a yearly basis, house price growth accelerated more-than-expected to 2.4% from 2.2% in September. Economists had forecast an annual increase of 2.3%.