12:05 PM EST, 02/06/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed sharply higher in Thursday trading as The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 1.26%, Germany's DAX gained 1.52%, the FTSE 100 in London was up 1.21%, France's CAC 40 increased 1.47%, and the Swiss Market Index closed 0.36% higher.

The HCOB Eurozone Construction PMI Total Activity Index, which tracks monthly changes in total industry activity, increased to 45.4 in January from 42.9 in December, but remained below the 50-point threshold separating expansion from contraction.

In the UK, the headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers' Index fell into contraction territory to 48.1 in January, down from 53.3 in December. It was the first time the index fell below 50 since February of 2024.

In Germany, price-adjusted incoming orders in the manufacturing sector were up 6.9% in December compared with the previous month, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office. On a quarterly basis, incoming orders were unchanged in Q4 from Q3.

And in corporate news, shares of Societe Generale surged more than 13% in Paris after the French financial services company reported net income that more than doubled to 1.04 billion euros ($1.08 billion) from 429 million euros a year earlier.

AstraZeneca reported Q4 earnings Thursday of $0.97 per share, up from $0.62 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $1.76. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 was $14.89 billion, compared with $12.02 billion a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $14.23 billion. Shares of the pharmaceutical giant closed nearly 6% higher in London.

ING Groep reported Q4 earnings Thursday of 0.37 euros ($0.38) per share, down from 0.45 euros a year earlier. Three analysts polled by FactSet expected 0.39 euros. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31, expressed as total income, was 5.41 billion euros, unchanged from a year earlier.