<div id="readability-page-1">12:08 PM EST, 12/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European stock markets closed mostly higher in Friday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.37%, Germany's DAX gained 0.37%, the FTSE 100 was up 0.61%, France's CAC was flat, and the Swiss Market Index advanced 0.27%.The European Commission's flash consumer confidence indicator edged 0.1 percentage points lower in the European Union in December to -13.7, and was down 0.4 points to -14.6 in the euro area. Both readings remained &#34;well below&#34; its long-term average, according to the Commission.In Germany, producer prices of industrial products were down 2.3% in November, compared with a year earlier, according to the country's Federal Statistical Office, which attributed the decline to lower energy prices.In the UK, retail sales volume rose an estimated 0.6% in the three months to November, compared with the three months to August, according to the UK's Office for National Statistics, which cited &#34;a strong three-monthly performance&#34; for clothing stores, and computer and telecommunication retailers.And in corporate news, Stellantis, Tesla, BYD, and Volkswagen Group's investigations by Italy's competition authority have been closed, and the companies have been asked to implement new measures, the regulator said Friday.The automakers faced an Italian probe over the &#34;adequacy and transparency&#34; of the information displayed to consumers related to electric vehicles' driving range, battery capacity degradation, and limitations on standard battery warranties, Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato said.A BYD spokesperson told MT Newswires that the company has no comment on the matter, while Tesla, Stellantis, and Volkswagen Group did not immediately respond to requests for statements.Shares of Stellantis were down 1% in Paris, while Volkswagen shares were off 0.4% in Frankfurt.AstraZeneca will halt US sales of Andexxa by Monday, following warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration that the drug's risks, including serious thromboembolic events, outweigh its benefits, the health regulator said Thursday.Following discussions with the FDA, AstraZeneca requested voluntary withdrawal of Andexxa's biologics license application and confirmed that US sales and manufacturing will end after Dec. 22.AstraZeneca did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.Shares of the British pharmaceutical company rose 0.9% in London.BHP CEO Mike Henry will focus on copper projects and opportunities in Canada, moving on from the company's abandoned effort to acquire Anglo American, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing an interview on BNN Bloomberg.In November, BHP Group said it is no longer contemplating a combination with Anglo American following preliminary talks. Henry said that BHP can invest in its own projects while simultaneously pursuing acquisitions of copper assets, the report said.BHP did not immediately respond to an MT Newswires request for comment.Shares of the mining company were up 0.2% in London.Eni-owned Eniverse will form SunXT with FuturaSun to develop perovskite silicon tandem solar panels, FuturaSun said Friday. SunXT will use Solertix, a FuturaSun group startup focused on perovskite cells, as its center for tandem photovoltaic work in Italy, the company said.Shares of the Italian oil and gas company advanced 1.7% in Milan. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.</div>

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European stocks closed higher, with Stoxx Europe 600 up 0.37%. EU consumer confidence fell slightly. Germany's producer prices dropped due to lower energy costs. UK retail sales rose. Italy closed investigations into automakers' EV info transparency. AstraZeneca to halt US sales of Andexxa due to FDA warnings. BHP shifts focus to copper projects in Canada. Eni's Eniverse partners with FuturaSun for solar panel development. Stellantis and Volkswagen shares fell, while AstraZeneca and BHP shares rose.

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European Stocks Close Week Higher in Friday Trading; EU, Euro Area Consumer Confidence Wanes