European Equities Close Mixed in Thursday Trading; ECB Keeps Rates Steady

01:06 PM EDT, 10/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European stock markets closed mixed in Thursday trading as the FTSE 100 in London was up 0.04%, Germany's DAX increased 0.06%, while France's CAC 40 lost 0.53%, The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.13% and the Swiss Market Index slid 0.04%.

The European Central Bank maintained its three key interest rates as inflation in the euro area continues to be near its 2% medium-term target rate, with the outlook "broadly unchanged." The central bank kept interest rates on the deposit facility at 2%, main refinancing operations at 2.15% and marginal lending facility at 2.4%.

The eurozone's quarterly gross domestic product gained 0.2% in Q3 after a 0.1% increase in the previous three-month period, according to flash data from the Eurostat. On a yearly basis, the area's economy grew by 1.3% during the quarter, compared with a 1.5% gain in the prior quarter.

And in corporate news, Novo Nordisk said Thursday it submitted an unsolicited proposal to acquire Metsera for $56.50 per share, for an aggregated equity value of about $6.5 billion or enterprise value of around $6 billion.

Pfizer said the proposal was "reckless and unprecedented."

Metsera said in a separate statement that Novo Nordisk's proposal, which includes $6 billion upfront and $2.5 billion in milestone payments, constitutes a "superior company proposal" as defined under its merger agreement with Pfizer.

"Our proposal offers compelling value to Metsera stockholders that far exceeds Pfizer's proposed transaction," a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told MT Newswires.

Shares of the Danish pharmaceutical company fell over 3% in Copenhagen.

TotalEnergies reported Q3 adjusted net income of $1.77 per diluted share, up from $1.74 earnings a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $43.84 billion, down from $47.43 billion a year earlier.

Shares of the French oil and gas company dropped over 1% in Paris.

Shell reported Q3 adjusted earnings of $0.93 per share, down from $0.96 a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $68.15 billion, down from $71.09 billion a year earlier. Shell said it commenced a $3.5 billion share buyback program that will run for about three months.

Shares of the UK-based oil and gas company rose 0.3% in London.

Anheuser-Busch InBev reported Q3 adjusted earnings of $0.99 per share, up from $0.98 a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $15.13 billion, compared with $15.05 billion a year earlier.

Shares of the Belgian brewing company slipped over 2% in Brussels.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria reported Q3 adjusted earnings of 0.42 euro ($0.49) per share, down from 0.44 euro a year earlier. Gross income for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 9.1 billion euros, up from 8.72 billion euros a year earlier.

Shares of the Spanish lender declined more than 1% in Madrid.

ING reported Q3 earnings of 0.60 euro per share, up from 0.59 euro a year earlier. Total income for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 5.9 billion euros, down from 5.91 billion euros a year earlier. ING announced a new shareholder distribution of up to 1.6 billion euros, consisting of a share buyback program for up to 1.1 billion euros and a cash payment of 500 million euros.

Shares of Dutch financial services company advanced over 5% in Amsterdam.

Stellantis reported Q3 net revenue of 37.21 billion euros, up from 32.96 billion euros a year earlier. The company reaffirmed its H2 outlook, projecting continued revenue growth and higher adjusted operating income compared with H1.

Shares of the automaker retreated over 8% in Milan.

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