Major European Markets Close Weak

BRUSSELS, Jan 17 (Bernama-dpa-AFX) -- The major European markets closed lower on Friday amid renewed concerns about geopolitical tensions and uncertainty surrounding French budget negotiations, dpa-AFX reported.

Investors also chose to take some profits, cashing in recent gains.

Geopolitical concerns weighed amid continued US threats to seize Greenland.

Meanwhile, the French government postponed parliamentary discussions on its budget scheduled for Friday to next Tuesday.

The pan European Stoxx 600 edged down 0.03 per cent, while the UK's FTSE 100 ended 0.04 per cent down, Germany's DAX slid 0.22 per cent, France's CAC 40 lost 0.65 per cent, and Switzerland's SMI shed 0.47 per cent.

Other markets in Europe closed mixed.

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Turkey closed higher and Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, and Poland ended weak. Ireland and Sweden closed flat.

In the UK market, BAE Systems, Natwest Group, Smiths Group, Schroders, National Grid, Standard Chartered, British Land Company, and The Sage Group gained 1.4 to 2.3 per cent.

Pearson, Metlen Energy & Metals, Entain, Antofagasta, Endeavour Mining, Glencore, Anglo American Plc., and Pershing Square Holdings lost 2.0 to 4.0 per cent.

In Germany, Brenntag, BASF, Deutsche Telekom and Continental lost 2.0 to 4.0 per cent, while SAP, Porsche Automobil Holding, Volkswagen, Bayer, BMW, Adidas, and Symrise closed lower by 1.0 to 1.9 per cent.

Daimler Truck Holding declined after reporting a drop in 2025 sales.

Continental, Siemens, Zalando, Bayer, Adidas, and Symrise also drifted lower, while Siemens Energy climbed more than 5.0 per cent.

Zalando, RWE, and Fresenius Medical Care gained 1.5 to 1.7 per cent.

Kloeckner & Co shares soared over 28 per cent after Worthington Steel announced that it would buy the German steel processor in a deal valued at US$2.4 billion.

In the French market, Kering and Essilor closed down by 4.7 per cent and 4.0 per cent, respectively, and LVMH, Stellantis, TP, and Renault lost 2.7 to 3.1 per cent.

Hermes International, Carrefour, Edenred, Sanofi, Saint-Gobain, Societe Generale, Pernod Ricard, Danone, and Capgemini ended lower by 1.0 to 2.0 per cent, while Thales moved up 2.3 per cent. Vinci, Airbus, Orange, and Safran posted moderate gains.

-- BERNAMA-dpa-AFX