11:58 AM EST, 12/11/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European stock markets closed higher on Wednesday as The Stoxx Europe rose 0.32%, Germany's DAX was up 0.42%, the FTSE in London gained 0.28%, France's CAC increased 0.39%, and the Swiss Market Index closed 0.34% higher.

It was a quiet day for economic data among the major European countries as investors look ahead to the European Central Bank's policy decision expected Thursday.

In corporate news, HSBC is considering at least $3 billion worth of cuts as the British lender continues to restructure its global operations under new CEO Georges Elhedery, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.

UK oil and gas companies BP and Shell, and French oil and gas company TotalEnergies, among other companies that produce gas in Oman, will be invited for discussions in Q1 next year about investing in the country's next liquefied natural gas production facility, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday. The three companies did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

British mining companies BHP Group and Rio Tinto are facing separate class action lawsuits in Australia alleging they enabled environments in which female employees faced systemic sexual harassment and gender discrimination, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.

UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and US-based pharmaceutical company Merck said Wednesday that updated results from a phase 3 trial of Lynparza showed that the drug demonstrated a prolonged survival benefit in early breast cancer patients.