12:20 PM EDT, 04/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed mostly higher on Monday as the Stoxx Europe 600 gained 0.06%, the Swiss Market Index was up 0.1%, France's CAC increased 0.4%, Germany's DAX rose 0.4%, while the FTSE in London ended the session 0.4% lower.

Seasonally adjusted industrial production increased 0.8% in the euro area and 0.7% in the EU in February, compared with January, according to first estimates from Eurostat. Year over year, industrial production decreased 6.4% in the euro area and 5.4% in the EU.

In the UK, the most recent NatWest Regional PMI survey data showed business activity rising in nearly all regions in Britain, as 11 of the 12 monitored regions registered business activity growth in March.

"The picture for the UK economy has brightened since the end of last year, and the same goes for most regions and nations with business activity rising almost universally in March," NatWest Chief Economist Sebastian Burnside said in a statement.

In Switzerland, the producer and import price index rose 0.1% sequentially in March to 106.9 points, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Compared with March 2023, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products declined 2.1%.

And in corporate news, Luxembourg-based private equity firm CVC Capital Partners plans for an initial public offering on the Euronext Amsterdam to raise at least 1.25 billion euros ($1.33 billion).

"We believe an IPO of CVC provides an enduring long term institutional structure to support further growth," CVC Chief Executive Officer Rob Lucas said. "We remain completely focused on the continued success of CVC, and neither I nor any of my active partners are selling shares as part of this transaction."

Swiss banking giant UBS (UBS) needs additional equity backing for its foreign subsidiaries, Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said in an interview with the Schweiz am Sonntag newspaper, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corp.'s online news and information service. UBS was down 0.4% in Switzerland.

Last Wednesday, the Swiss government issued a report that includes 22 recommendations for de-risking UBS and empowering the Swiss financial regulator. Keller-Sutter noted that the proposal would require Swiss parent companies of systemically important banks to back their foreign holdings with up to 100% equity. Currently, only 60% is required.

Mining stocks weighed down the FTSE in London as Endeavour Mining dropped more than 7%, followed by Fresnillo and Anglo American, which fell 4% and 1.5% respectively.