European stocks close on mixed note

The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down by 0.23%

European stocks closed on a somewhat mixed note on Thursday with investors mostly reacting to corporate earnings updates, and assessing trade news and geopolitical developments.

The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down by 0.23%. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 and France’s CAC 40 closed up by 0.17% and 0.06%, respectively, while Germany’s DAX dropped 2.07%. Switzerland’s SMI jumped 0.95%.

Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Spain ended weak.

Russia, Iceland, Norway and Sweden ended higher, while Netherlands closed flat.

In the UK market, 3i Group surged almost 9% after the company reported that its non-food discounter, Action has registered an increase in operating EBITDA and sales for the 12-month period on strong demand.

The German market dropped sharply as SAP sank 16% after its fourth-quarter earnings missed estimates. SAP reported that its fourth quarter profit after tax was 1.9 billion euros, up 17% from a year ago.

In the French market, Eurofins Scientific shed nearly 6.5%. STMicroElectronics also dropped 6.5%. Dassault Systemes drifted down 4.1%.

In economic news, a report from the European Commission said the Eurozone Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) climbed to 99.4 in January 2026, up 2.2 points from a revised 97.2 in December 2025, marking its highest level since January 2023. Consumer confidence also firmed, reaching -12.4, its highest since February 2025.

Data from the European Central Bank showed that lending to Eurozone businesses rose 3% year-on-year to a record €5.324 trillion in December 2025, underscoring a continued recovery in credit demand, supported by the European Central Bank’s recent policy easing.