12:17 PM EDT, 04/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed mixed in Wednesday trading as The Stoxx Europe 600 gained 0.12%, the Swiss Market Index was off 0.09%, France's CAC nudged 0.05% lower, the FTSE in London rose 0.33%, and Germany's DAX was up 0.11%.

In Italy, retail sales continued to rise in February, increasing 2.4% year on year, and extending its positive trend since February 2021, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics.

In Germany, prices for new construction of conventionally manufactured residential buildings increased 2.8% in February compared with a year earlier, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

In corporate news, UBS Chief Executive Officer Sergio Ermotti's compensation has drawn concerns from Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland's finance minister, according to Bloomberg. She said at a press conference that the trend of rising executive pay "has led to an alienation between companies and the people."

Bank stocks trended higher in Wednesday trading as HSBC and Standard Chartered rose 2.9% and 1% respectively on the FTSE in London, while Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank gained 2.7% and 1.9% respectively on the DAX.