BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks closed weak on Friday as the mood remained largely cautious amid an escalation in tensions in the Middle East and news about Hezbollah rejecting the ceasefire agreement with Israel and launching fresh strikes across southern Lebanon.
Concerns about interest rates rose after data showed a stronger than expected growth in U.S. non-farm payroll employment in the month of May. Investors also digested a slew of regional economic data.
Shares of chipmakers fell, weighed down by a downbeat earnings report from Broadcom
The pan European Stoxx 600 slid 0.29%. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 closed down by 0.75% and 0.32%, respectively. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 ended 0.07% up. Switzerland's SMI climbed 0.35%.
Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Türkiye closed weak.
Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Portugal, Russia and Spain ended higher.
In the UK market, shares of mining companies fell sharply. Fresnillo, Endeavour Mining, Antofagasta and Anglo American Plc lost 5%-6.2%. Glencore shed 3.25% and Rio Tinto closed 3.1% down.
Halma ended 4.4% down. Polar Capital Technology Trust, JD Sports Fashion, Metlen Energy & Metals, Entain, Weir Group, Lion Finance, Prudential and Hiscox were among the other major losers.
Imperial Brands, Unilever, LSEG, AstraZeneca, Haleon, Bunzl, AutoTrader Group, British American Tobacco, GSK, Reckitt Benckiser, Sainsbury (J), Melrose Industries, Diageo, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Pearson, National Grid and Coca-Cola HBC gained 1.4%-3%.
Shares of single-board computer maker Raspberry Pi Holdings shares soared nearly 28% after the company said it expects full-year earnings to significantly exceed market expectations.
In the German market, Infineon tanked more than 9%. Mercedes-Benz, Qiagen, Merck, Vonovia, SAP, Daimler Truck Holding and Siemens lost 1%-2.2%.
Zalando, Beiersdorf, Henkel, Scout24, Rheinmetall, Bayer, Fresenius, Gea Group, Munich RE, E.ON, Commerzbank, Fresenius Medical Care, Hannover RE and Brenntag closed with strong gains.
In the French market, Teleperformance, ArcelorMittal, Schneider Electric and STMicroelectronics lost 4%-4.8%.
Stellantis, Edenred, Capgemini, Legrand, Dassault Systemes, Publicis Groupe, Societe Generale, Renault and EssilorLuxottica shed 1%-3%.
Hermes International, Carrefour, Sanofi, Pernod Ricard, Engie, L'Oreal, Danone, Airbus and LVMH gained 1%-2.3%.
In economic news, data from INSEE showed industrial production in France edged up by 0.1% month-on-month in April, defying market expectations of a 0.2% fall but slowing from an upwardly revised 1.4% rise in the previous month.
On a yearly basis, industrial production accelerated to 2.8% from an upwardly revised 1.3% in March.
France's trade deficit narrowed to Euro 5.6 billion in April from Euro 6.4 billion in March, and below the expected Euro 6.5 billion shortfall. Exports rose 3.1% month-on-month to Euro 54.6 billion, while imports increased at a softer 1.5% to Euro 60.2 billion.
Data from Halifax and Bank of Scotland showed the Halifax House Price Index showed UK house prices fell 0.1% from a month earlier in May 2026, matching the decline recorded in April. House prices were expected to rise by 0.1% in May.
In the U.S., data from the Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment shot up by 172,000 jobs in May after surging by an upwardly revised 179,000 jobs in April. Economists had expected employment to climb by 85,000 jobs compared to the addition of 115,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
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