11:52 AM EDT, 08/05/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed mostly higher in Wednesday trading as investors monitor negotiations over a possible end of the Middle East war between the US and Iran and reopening the Straight of Hormuz.

The Stoxx Europe gained 0.1%, the FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, France's CAC was modestly lower, the Swiss Market Index advanced 0.7%, while Germany's DAX was off 0.1%.

In corporate news, Banco Santander and Webster Financial have received US Federal Reserve approval for their proposed deal under which Banco Santander will acquire Webster, the companies said Tuesday.

The deal is expected to close Aug. 20.

Shares of the Spanish bank increased 0.8% in Madrid.

AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb are not engaged in discussions over a potential merger, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a senior source close to the matter.

"There is no deal between AstraZeneca and BMS. There never was a deal to be done, and there are no discussions between the companies," the source told Reuters.

Shares of AstraZeneca rose more than 3% in London.

Novo Nordisk said Wednesday it won a preliminary injunction in the Netherlands against Ceban Ziekenhuisfarmacie B.V. in a patent-infringement case involving its compounded semaglutide nasal spray.

The District Court of The Hague ordered Ceban to stop selling the nasal spray immediately, noting that Ceban infringed Novo Nordisk's supplementary protection certificate covering semaglutide, Novo said.

Shares of the Danish pharmaceutical company fell 4.3% in Copenhagen.

Ryanair said Wednesday that July traffic reached 22.2 million guests, up 7% from a year earlier. The airline operated more than 120,800 flights last month, it said.

Shares of Ryanair gained 0.6% in Dublin.

HSBC has launched cash tender offers for four series of senior unsecured notes with an aggregate purchase price of up to $5 billion, the company said late Tuesday.

The offers cover company notes with a combined outstanding principal amount of $8.6 billion, HSBC said.

The tender offers are scheduled to expire Aug. 12, unless extended, the company said.

Shares of the British bank fell more than 4% in London.