European Stocks Close Higher Ahead Of Crucial U.S. Jobs Data

(RTTNews) - European stocks closed mostly higher on Thursday, with most of the markets in the region gaining for a second straight day amid cooling bond markets. Still, the mood in the markets remained a bit cautious with investors looking ahead to crucial U.S. non-farm payroll data on Friday for clues about the Federal Reserve's likely interest rate decision later in the month.

The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.61%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.42% and Germany's DAX closed 0.74% up, while France's CAC 40 ended 0.27% down. Switzerland's SMI settled with a strong gain of 1.5%.

Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Turkiye closed higher.

Austria, Denmark and Ireland ended weak, while Greece closed flat.

In the UK market, Rightmove, Airtel Africa, Aviva, Relx, Auto Trader Group, Next, Sainsbury (J), Barclays, Beazley and Lloyds Banking Group gained 2 to 3%.

Informa, M&G, Rentokil Initial, Weir Group, Tesco, Pershing Square Holdings, Hiscox, Polar Capital Technology Trust and Smith & Nephew also ended notably higher.

Shares of animal genetics company Genus zoomed 12.5% after the company reported strong annual results with a 24% increase in adjusted profit before tax.

Online trading platform IG Group Holdings closed moderately higher after launching a new share buyback program.

EasyJet ended 4.2% down. Low-cost airline and travel firm Jet2 closed more than 12% down, after the company said it anticipates its EBIT to land towards the lower end of the consensus range.

Antofagasta, Admiral Group, Entain, Endeavour Mining, Mondi, Anglo American Plc, Rolls-Royce Holdings and Croda International lost 1 to 2.3%.

In the German market, Siemens Energy and Heidelberg Materials gained about 3.5%. Zalando, Deutsche Telekom, Commerzbank, RWE, Munich RE, Bayer, Deutsche Post, Fresenius and Henkel gained 1.5 to 2.3%.

Covestro ended more than 6% down. Sartorius closed lower by about 3.4%, while MTU Aero Engines and Symrise ended down by 2.5% from their previous closing levels.

Rheinmetall, BASF, Infineon Technologies and Merck also closed notably lower.

Porsche AG shares dropped nearly 1% earlier in the session, as stock is set to be relegated to the German mid-caps index MDAX following recent losses in its share. The stock recovered subsequently.

In the French market, Teleperformance, Societe Generale, Credit Agricole, Vivendi, Publicis Groupe, BNP Paribas, ArcelorMittal, AXA, Veolia Environment, Legrand and Bouygues climbed 1.5 to 3%.

Nicox soared nearly 12% after announcing it expects to fully repay all existing financial debts by 2026.

Sanofi fell by about 8%, weighed down by the news that its Phase 3 trial for the atopic dermatitis drug amlitelimab failed to meet efficacy expectations.

LVMH closed nearly 4% down, and Pernod Ricard ended lower by about 2.7%. Kering and Hermes International also closed sharply lower.

In economic news, Germany's construction sector shrank further in August largely due to the steep fall in new orders, survey results from S&P Global showed.

The HCOB construction Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 46.0 in August from July's 29-month high of 46.3.

Data from S&P Global showed that the HCOB Construction PMI in France increased to 46.7 in August 2025, from July's ten-month low of 39.7. This marked the slowest pace of contraction since January 2023, signaling a notable easing in the sector's downturn.

Data from Eurostat showed Eurozone retail sales declined more than expected in July largely reflecting a notable fall in food and auto fuel sales.

Retail sales posted a monthly fall of 0.5%, in contrast to the 0.6% increase in June. Sales were expected to fall 0.3%.

On a yearly basis, growth in retail sales eased to 2.2% in July from 3.5% in June. Moreover, this was weaker than forecast of 2.4%.

Sales in the EU27 registered a monthly fall of 0.4% in July but increased 2.4% from a year ago.

survey data published by S&P Global showed that the UK construction sector contracted for the eighth consecutive month in August due to marked reductions in the housing and civil engineering works.

The construction Purchasing Managers' Index posted 45.5 in August, up from 44.3 in July. However, the score remained well below the 50.0 mark indicating sharp fall in construction output.

UK new car registrations decreased for the second straight month in August, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders showed on Thursday.

Car sales dropped 2% annually to 82,908 units in August, which is normally the quietest month of the year, as the sales are generally less than 5% of annual deliveries ahead of September's number plate change.