12:15 PM EST, 11/14/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed higher in Thursday trading as The Stoxx Europe rose 1.08%, Germany's DAX climbed 1.26%, the FTSE in London was up 0.51%, France's CAC advanced 1.32%, and the Swiss Market Index closed 0.68% higher.

Seasonally adjusted GDP increased 0.4% in the euro area and 0.3% in the European Union in Q3 compared with the previous quarter, according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU. Compared with a year earlier, seasonally adjusted GDP increased 0.9% in the euro area and 1.0% in the EU.

Eurostat also reported that seasonally adjusted industrial production decreased 2.0% in both the euro area and the EU in September from August. Compared with September 2023, industrial production decreased 2.8% in the euro area and 2.4% in the EU.

In Spain, the annual variation rate of the consumer price index was 1.8% in October, up from 1.5% in September, according to the Spanish National Institute of Statistics. The annual core inflation rate increased to 2.5% from 2.4%.

And in corporate news, Shell's Singapore refinery is on track to complete its sale to a joint venture between Indonesia's Chandra Asri and Switzerland's Glencore by Q1, the British oil and gas giant said in a statement to MT Newswires.

Apple is being sued for 3 billion British pounds ($3.16 billion) in the UK by consumer advocacy group Which? for allegedly failing to offer iPhone and iPad users alternative cloud storage providers. The group argues that this is an abuse of Apple's market dominance. Apple did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

French oil and gas company TechnipFMC said Thursday it has been awarded a "major" contract from French energy company TotalEnergies for the GranMorgu project on Block 58, the first offshore oil and gas development in Suriname.

British pharmaceutical company GSK said Thursday that the interim analysis of a phase three trial evaluating belantamab mafodotin in combination with bortezomib plus dexamethasone to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma showed positive headline results.