European Stocks Mostly Higher in Friday Trading; French GDP Growth Slows, Inflation Rises

11:51 AM EST, 02/27/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets were mostly higher in Friday trading as The Stoxx Europe gained 0.2%, Germany's DAX was up 0.1%, the FTSE 100 rose 0.7%, France's CAC was off 0.5%, and the Swiss Market Index increased 0.7%.

In France, GDP decelerated in Q4, expanding 0.2% after growing 0.5% in Q3, according to the Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, or INSEE.

INSEE also said it expects inflation to rise 1.0% in February, accelerating from a 0.3% increase in January, according to provisional estimates. The agency attributed the increase in part to a less pronounced decline in energy prices. It also reported that on a monthly basis, it expects consumer prices to rise 0.7% in February, after declining 0.3% in January.

In corporate news, Novartis said Friday that the company has completed its acquisition of Avidity Biosciences by merging its indirect subsidiary, Ajax Acquisition Sub, with Avidity.

Under the terms of the agreement, shareholders of Avidity Biosciences will receive $72 a share in cash, valuing Avidity Biosciences at about $12 billion, Novartis said.

Novartis also reported Friday that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, has recommended marketing authorization for remibrutinib as an oral treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria in adults with inadequate response to H1-antihistamines.

The European Commission is expected to act on the CHMP's positive opinion and issue a decision in about two months, the company said.

Shares of the Swiss pharmaceutical company gained 2.2% in Zurich.

Barclays is consulting technology providers to develop a blockchain system for managing financial transactions, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The bank has issued requests for information to prospective tech suppliers to assess the development of these new services, the news outlet quoted the people as saying.

The plan will reportedly encompass applications involving stablecoins and tokenized deposits, and the company intends to choose its partners for the project as early as April, Bloomberg reported.

Barclays did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

Shares of the British lender dropped 4.7% in London.

Equinor is planning to offload several of its oil and gas assets in Angola, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Norwegian energy company hired a financial adviser to find prospective purchasers, the report said. The company plans to keep a minor interest in one of the fields, the report added.

Equinor did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for a comment.

Shares of Equinor were up 0.9% in Oslo.

TotalEnergies has bought a large volume of Middle East crude oil in February so far on a trading window that is contributing to the pricing of the regional Dubai oil benchmark, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing traders and brokers.

The state-backed French oil major purchased 30 cargoes in February, with each cargo containing 500,000 barrels, using the platform run by S&P Global Energy, the report said.

TotalEnergies and S&P Global Energy did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.

Shares of TotalEnergies edged 0.1% lower in Paris.

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said Friday that the CHMP has recommended the approval of Dupixent to treat chronic spontaneous urticaria, or CSU, in children aged 2 to 11.

Dupixent is already approved for adults and adolescents to treat CSU in certain jurisdictions including the US, the EU and Japan, the companies said.

Sanofi also reported that the CHMP has issued a positive opinion for Acoziborole Winthrop to treat both early and advanced-stage gambiense sleeping sickness in patients aged 12 years and older.

Shares of the French pharmaceutical company were up 1.5% in Paris.

Shares of Flutter Entertainment fell more than 15% in London after it reported Q4 adjusted earnings late Thursday of $1.74 per share, down from $2.94 a year earlier, while analysts polled by FactSet expected $1.85.

Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose to $4.74 billion from $3.79 billion a year earlier, as analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $4.93 billion.

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