{"id":69450,"date":"2026-02-02T18:24:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T18:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/02\/02\/european-markets-close-higher-on-strong-regional-pmi-data\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T18:24:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T18:24:26","slug":"european-markets-close-higher-on-strong-regional-pmi-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/02\/02\/european-markets-close-higher-on-strong-regional-pmi-data\/","title":{"rendered":"European Markets Close Higher On Strong Regional PMI Data"},"content":{"rendered":"
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European markets<\/span> closed on a positive note on Monday, riding on data showing an improvement in the manufacturing activity in the major economies of the region in the month of January. <\/p>\n

Slightly easing concerns about U.S.-Iran friction after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was hopeful of agreeing a deal with Iran helped as well in lifting sentiment.<\/p>\n

Investors looked ahead to the European Central Bank’s monetary policy announcement, due on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 1.03%. France’s CAC 40 gained 0.67%, while the U.K.’s FTSE 100 and Germany’s DAX moved up 1.15% and 1.05%, respectively. Switzerland’s SMI ended 1.67% up.<\/p>\n

Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden ended with sharp to moderate gains.<\/p>\n

Iceland and Poland edged up marginally, while Norway, Russia and Turkiye closed weak.<\/p>\n

In the UK market, JD Sports Fashion climbed more than 6% and Intercontinental Hotels Group gained 4.15%. IAG, AstraZeneca, Beazley, Ashtead Group, Natwest Group, Compass Group, Easyjet, Barclays, GSK, Aviva, Airtel Africa, Howden Joinery, Standard Chartered, IMI and Lloyds Banking Group moved up 2.3%-4%.<\/p>\n

Endeavour Mining, BAE Systems and Autotrader Group declined sharply. Fresnillo, Melrose Industries and Experian also closed weak.<\/p>\n

In the German market, Siemens Energy, Commerzbank, SAP, Deutsche Telekom and Hannover Rueck gained 2%-2.6%.<\/p>\n

Allianz, BASF, Continental, Siemens, Fresenius, Heidelberg Materials, Gea Group, Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Truck Holding moved up 1%-1.8%.<\/p>\n

Rheinmetall dropped about 2.7%. Beiersdorf, Qiagen, Symrise and Brenntag also ended notably lower.<\/p>\n

In the French market, Danone climbed 4.3%. ArcelorMittal moved up nearly 4%. TP, Accor, Publicis Groupe, Carrefour, Capgemini, Schneider Electric, Societe Generale and Bouygues gained 2 to 3.1%.<\/p>\n

Sanofi moved up 1.8% after the pharma major’s genetic disorder drug showed promise in a late-stage trial.<\/p>\n

Orange, Saint-Gobain, Stellantis, AXA, BNP Paribas and Bureau Veritas also closed notably higher.<\/p>\n

Data from Destats showed German’s retail sales rose 0.1% on a monthly basis in December, reversing November’s 0.5% drop. Sales were forecast to grow 0.1%. On a yearly basis, retail sales posted an annual growth of 1.5% compared to an increase of 1.3% in November.<\/p>\n

France’s HCOB Manufacturing PMI rose to a 43-month high of 51.2 in January 2026 from 50.7 in December. The reading was slightly above the flash estimate of 51.0.<\/p>\n

The euro area manufacturing activity shrank at a slower pace in January as production returned to growth, final survey results from S&P Global showed. The final HCOB manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 49.5 in January from a nine-month low of 48.8 in December. The flash reading was 49.4.<\/p>\n

Germany’s manufacturing activity continued to contract for 43 straight months in January. However, the final factory PMI rose to a three-month high of 49.1 in January from 47.0 in December as output returned to growth after a brief contraction in December. The initial PMI score for January was 48.7.<\/p>\n

Final data from S&P Global showed U.K.’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to a 17-month high of 51.8 in January from 50.6 in December and exceeded the earlier flash estimate of 51.6.<\/p>\n

Data from the Nationwide Building Society showed UK house price growth accelerated in January as uncertainty around the budget faded.<\/p>\n

House prices rose at a pace of 1% on a yearly basis in January after climbing 0.6% in December. This was faster than economists’ forecast of 0.7%.<\/p>\n

Month-on-month, house prices moved up 0.3%, in line with expectations, and in contrast to the 0.4% fall in December. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n