12:21 PM EST, 11/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed higher in Thursday trading as the FTSE in London was up 0.79%, Germany's DAX increased 0.74%, France's CAC gained 0.21%, the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.41% and the Swiss Market Index advanced 0.45%.

The eurozone's consumer confidence indicator dropped by 1.2 percentage points to -13.7 points in November, according to flash data from the European Commission.

In France, the euro area's second largest economy, the business climate indicator fell to 96 in November from 97 in October, the country's statistical agency Insee said.

In the UK, public sector net borrowing totaled 17.35 billion British pounds ($21.86 billion) in October, higher than the revised 16.14 billion pounds in September, according to the Office for National Statistics.

And in corporate news, JD Sports Fashion led the decliners on the FTSE after the British apparel retailer said it now expects fiscal 2025 profit before tax and adjusting items to be at the lower end of its guidance range of 955 million pounds to 1.04 billion pounds.

British safety equipment company Halma led the gainers in London after it increased its interim dividend and reported a higher profit and revenue for the first half of fiscal 2025.

On the DAX, insurance stocks were among the biggest gainers, with Hannover Rueck, Allianz and Munich Re advancing around 2%.