European equities were uneven on Wednesday as traders weighed a new batch of regional economic reports.
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%, while France’s CAC 40 inched up 0.1% and Germany’s DAX advanced 0.3%.
New figures from S&P Global showed that the eurozone’s private sector grew at its fastest pace since May 2023, with both services and manufacturing contributing to the expansion. The HCOB final composite output index rose to 52.8 in November from 52.5 in October, coming in above the flash estimate of 52.4.
The survey indicated that services activity strengthened during the month, although factory output grew at its slowest rate in nine months.
In a separate release, Eurostat reported that eurozone producer prices edged up 0.1% in October, reversing a 0.1% decline in September. Stripping out energy, producer prices were unchanged for the fourth consecutive month.
Among individual stocks, Inditex surged after the Zara parent posted a 10.6% jump in sales early in the fourth quarter, supported by demand for its autumn and winter collections.
Airbus (EU:AIR) also traded higher in Paris after reaffirming its full-year adjusted EBIT outlook.
On the downside, Hugo Boss (TG:BOSS) dropped sharply after the German fashion company warned that sales and profits are likely to decline in 2026 before returning to growth the following year.
Sainsbury’s (LSE:SBRY) also retreated after Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund offloaded roughly £266 million ($352 million) worth of shares in the U.K. supermarket group.
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