European Equities Close Mixed in Thursday Trading; EU Economic Sentiment Declines

12:10 PM EDT, 08/28/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed mixed in Thursday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 declined 0.16%, Germany's DAX was off 0.01%, the FTSE 100 fell 0.42%, France's CAC gained 0.24%, and the Swiss Market Index was up 0.10%.

The European Commission's Economic Sentiment Indicator for the EU declined 0.3 points in August to 94.9 from July, while the euro area gauge was down 0.5 points to 95.2 from the previous month, according to a preliminary estimate from the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs.

Meanwhile, the Employment Expectations Indicator gained 0.6 points to 98.1 in the EU and rose 0.3 points to 97.8 in the euro area.

And in corporate news, Stellantis signed a deal with unions on Thursday to extend by five months a scheme reducing working hours for staff at its Mirafiori plant in northern Italy, Reuters reported, citing a company statement. Workers with reduced hours face temporary salary reductions under the latest agreement, which covers the period from September 1 to January 31, the reports said.

Stellantis did not immediately reply to a request for comment from MT Newswires.

Shares of the European automaker were up 0.48% in Paris.

Deutsche Bank has been fined HK$23.8 million ($3.1 million) by Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission for allegedly violating multiple regulatory rules, the SFC said Thursday.

The regulator has accused the German bank of overcharging clients on management fees, incorrectly assigning product risk ratings, and failing to disclose investment banking relationships in some of its research reports.

Deutsche Bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.

Shares of Deutsche Bank were down 0.41% in Frankfurt.

Apple believes that Britain's plans to increase competition in the mobile operating system market may harm users and developers, and could force the US giant to share its technology with foreign competitors for free, Reuters reported Thursday, citing an Apple spokesperson.

"We're concerned these EU-style rules the UK is advancing are bad for users and bad for developers," the report quoted the spokesperson as saying.

Apple did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.

GSK's gepotidacin oral antibiotic pill to treat urinary tract infections was approved by the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the medical regulator said Thursday.

The MHRA said that the antibiotic's active ingredient targets and blocks two enzymes bacteria need to replicate and multiply, making it effective against infections such as E. coli.

Shares of the British pharmaceutical company were off 1.2% in London.

JD Sports Fashion shares rose 2.8% in London after the retailer said Wednesday that it is launching a new 100 million-pound ($135.2 million) buyback program.

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