12:06 PM EDT, 07/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European stock markets closed lower in Monday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 fell 1.02%, the Swiss Market Index lost 0.69%, France's CAC dropped 1.19%, the FTSE in London declined 0.85%, and Germany's DAX closed 0.84% lower.

The European Central Bank will delay the outcome of an investigation into high-risk loans and will likely push back the release of the results of its leveraged-finance review to lenders until at least September from this month, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, seasonally adjusted industrial production decreased 0.6% in the euro area and 0.8% in the European Union, according to first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU. Compared with May 2023, industrial production decreased 2.9% in the euro area and 2.5% in the EU.

In Switzerland, the producer and import price index remained unchanged in June from May at 107.1 points, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Compared with June 2023, the prices of all domestic and imported products declined 1.9%.

And in corporate news, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk said Monday that there is no meeting scheduled for this week between its senior executives and US Senate aides.

"In terms of meetings, we have agreed to participate in the Senate HELP Committee hearing in early September - there are no other meetings with our senior executives scheduled for us at this time," the company said in an emailed statement to MT Newswires.

British luxury goods company Burberry reported "disappointing" fiscal Q1 results Monday and fired Chief Executive Jonathan Akeroyd. Joshua Schulman has been tapped to replace Akeroyd, who is leaving the company effective immediately. Shares of the company tumbled 16% in Monday trading in London.

Other luxury goods stocks also fell in Monday trading as Kering and Louis Vuitton dropped 5.3% and 2.7%, respectively, in Paris, followed by Hermes International and Pernod Ricard, which were down 2.6% and 2.5%, respectively.

Food company Bunge and agriculture company Viterra have offered to divest assets in two European countries to win EU antitrust approval for their $34 billion merger, Reuters reported Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The European Commission has extended its decision deadline regarding the merger to Aug. 1 from July 18.

British consumer goods giant Univlever has agreed to sell Pureit, its water purification business, to water technology company A. O. Smith for $120 million, the companies said Monday. Unilever said the acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of the year, will not have a material impact on its earnings in the first year.

Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson said Monday that it has signed a multi-year cross-license deal with smartphone manufacturer OPPO covering patents related to cellular technologies, including 5G. Under the deal, Ericsson will receive royalty payments from OPPO.