11:56 AM EDT, 03/31/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets were trending higher in Tuesday trading as the Stoxx Europe was rising 0.58%, Germany's DAX was gaining 0.55%, the FTSE 100 was up 0.48%, France's CAC was moving up 0.86%, and the Swiss Market Index was advancing 1.2%.

Euro area annual inflation is estimated to have risen 2.5% in March, up from 1.9% in February, according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

The highest rates were in Croatia and Lithuania at 4.7% and 4.5% respectively, while the lowest rates were in Italy and Cyprus at 1.5% each.

Eurostat estimates that energy prices are will have the highest annual rate, followed by services; food, alcohol & tobacco, and non-energy industrial goods.

In the UK, real gross domestic product grew an estimated 0.1% in Q4, according to the Office for National Statistics. GDP is estimated to have increased 1.4% annually in 2025, up from 1.1% in 2024.

And in corporate news, Unilever said Tuesday that it is in "advanced discussions" with McCormick in which it would sell its foods business in a transaction that includes an upfront cash component of approximately $15.7 billion and the majority of the payment in McCormick stock.

Upon completion, it is expected that the proposed deal would give Unilever and its shareholders around 65% of the combined company, the company said.

Shares of the consumer goods giant were falling more than 7% in London.

Novo Nordisk said Tuesday it is launching a multi-month subscription program for Wegovy that can save patients up to $600 a year on the pill version of the drug and up to $1,200 a year on the injection version.

Patients can choose between three-, six- and 12-month programs, the company said.

Shares of the Danish pharmaceutical company were edging 0.1% lower in Copenhagen.

Eni unit Plenitude said Tuesday it is expanding its electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Spain. The company expects the installation of all charging stations to be completed by the end of the year.

Under the company's deal with Autopistas del Atlantico, it intends to install and operate 42 charging points, Plenitude said.

Shares of the Italian oil and gas company were up 0.9% in Milan.

Nokia said Tuesday it has been selected by Virgin Media O2 for a major multi-year 5G network upgrade across the UK.

Nokia said it will supply its latest AirScale RAN technology, including advanced baseband and Massive MIMO radios, to boost network speed, coverage, and efficiency.

Shares of the Finnish telecommunications company were down more than 2% in Helsinki.