11:56 AM EDT, 07/29/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed mixed in Wednesday trading as investors parsed earnings reports, while oil prices surged amid renewed missile attacks in the Middle East.

Energy and mining stocks led the gainers, while tech stocks and semiconductor companies continued to slump.

The Stoxx Europe 600 declined 0.3%, Germany's DAX 40 was little changed, the FTSE 100 gained 0.3%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.6%, and the Swiss Market Index dropped 0.6%.

In corporate news, Unilever agreed to protect the employment terms and conditions of workers in its European and UK food business for two years after its planned 2027 merger with McCormick (MKC), Reuters reported.

Shares of Unilever fell 0.6% in London.

ING Groep is preparing two significant risk transfer transactions covering about $10 billion of loans to free up capital for new lending, Bloomberg reported.

Shares of the Dutch bank lost 1% in Amsterdam.

Eni plans to increase its 2026 dividend by 5% to 1.1 euros ($1.25), and the company expanded the 2026 share repurchase program to 3.4 billion euros, a 20% increase from the guidance in the previous quarter.

Shares of the Italian oil and gas major surged 7% in Milan.

Rio Tinto reported H1 adjusted earnings of $4.21 per diluted share, up from $2.96 a year earlier, as sales increased.

Shares of the mining company gained 1% in London.

Deutsche Bank reported Q2 earnings of 1.91 billion euros, up from 1.73 billion euros a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected 1.51 billion euros.

Shares of Deutsche Bank rose 2% in Frankfurt.

UBS Group reported Q2 earnings of $0.87 per diluted share, up from $0.72 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $0.90.

The company plans to buy back $3 billion in shares by the end of Q2 2027 with at least $1 billion to be repurchased over the next three months.

Shares of UBS increased 1% in Zurich.