12:07 PM EDT, 07/31/2026 (MT Newswires) -- European stock markets closed mixed in Friday trading with the Stoxx 600 easing 0.1%, Germany's DAX adding 0.1%, the UK's FTSE 100 shedding 0.3%, France's CAC rising 0.3%, and the Swiss Market Index down 0.3%.

In economic news, the Eurozone consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.9% on year in July, up from a 2.8% on-year incline in June, reported Eurostat.

In regulatory news, PDD, Temu's parent company, and its subsidiary WhaleCo Technology have received a Statement of Grounds from the European Commission over preliminary concerns that they obstructed an inspection at WhaleCo's premises in Ireland, the Commission said. The inspection, conducted in December 2025 under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, was part of the Commission's investigation into whether Temu benefited from foreign subsidies that could distort competition in the EU. The Commission alleges Temu failed to provide requested information and records during the inspection, potentially breaching its procedural obligations.

In other news, UEFA approved a boycott of FIFA tournaments if FIFA President Gianni Infantino proceeds with plans to sell stakes in a new commercial entity to investors, Bloomberg reported. UEFA said no national teams from its 55 member associations would participate in FIFA competitions while the proposal remained under consideration, arguing that the World Cup should not be treated as an investment product, the report said.

In corporate news, Novo Nordisk said Friday its drug candidate ziltivekimab did not reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and inflammation compared with a placebo in a phase 3 trial. The trial evaluated once-monthly ziltivekimab 15 mg compared with placebo for rreducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, or MACE, which are defined as cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack or non-fatal stroke. Novo shares fell past 7% in Copenhagen.

Shell has agreed to sell its wholly owned subsidiary BG Cyprus to MOL Group for up to $720 million, subject to customary adjustments and milestone-linked contingent payments, the company said Friday. Shell shares rose 1.9% in London.

BP said Friday it has launched a process to market its North Sea oil and gas business for a potential sale as part of its broader portfolio review. Chief Executive Meg O'Neill said the assets would be 'better positioned as part of another company'. BP shares added 1.8% in London.

NatWest reported Q2 earnings Friday of 0.20 British pounds ($0.27) per basic share, up from 0.15 pounds a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended June 30, expressed as the sum of net interest income and non-interest income, was 4.50 billion pounds, up from 4.01 billion pounds a year earlier. Analyst polled by FactSet expected 4.39 billion. NatWest shares gained 3.2% in London.

HSBC said Friday it expects to incur $300 million in restructuring costs and write-offs following its decision to sell its Australian home loans and personal loans portfolio and wind down the remainder of the retail business in the country over the next 18 months. Separately, HSBC has held early talks to transfer billions of pounds of assets from its UK pension scheme to insurers after being approached by potential buyers, Bloomberg reported Thursday. HSBC shares were down 0.7% in London.

KKR said Friday it, alongside Mirastar, acquired a portfolio of four UK logistics assets from PLP for about 170 million British pounds ($228.7 million). The portfolio comprises approximately 1.25 million square feet of logistics space across four properties in Stafford, Crewe, Ellesmere Port and Wakefield. KKR said the assets are fully leased and have a weighted average lease term to break of about 10 years.