12:07 PM EDT, 07/31/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed lower in Thursday trading as the FTSE 100 in London slid 0.05%, Germany's DAX dropped 0.73%, France's CAC 40 fell 1.14%, The Stoxx Europe 600 slipped 0.71%, and the Swiss Market Index lost 0.8%.

The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in the eurozone stood at 6.2% in June, unchanged from a revised figure in May, according to Eurostat data.

In Germany, import prices dropped 1.4% year-over-year in June after a 1.1% fall in May, according to the country's Federal Statistical Office. German import prices were unchanged on a monthly basis.

In corporate news, British aerospace and defense company Rolls-Royce said its H1 earnings per diluted share attributable to shareholders rose to 0.5215 British pound ($0.69) from 0.1363 pound and revenue climbed to 9.49 billion pounds from 8.86 billion pounds a year ago.

Rolls-Royce was the second-best performer on the FTSE 100, advancing more than 8%.

The biggest gainer on the FTSE 100 was Rentokil, which gained over 9% after the British pest-control company reported H1 profit of $188 million, down from $248 million a year earlier with revenue increasing to $3.36 billion from $3.27 billion a year earlier.

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi said its Q2 earnings rose to 3.24 euros ($3.71) per share from 0.89 euro and net sales climbed to 9.99 billion euros from 9.43 billion euros a year ago. The drugmaker also said it expects 2025 sales to grow by a high single-digit percentage at constant exchange rates compared with its prior outlook of mid-to-high single-digit growth.

Sanofi was among the biggest decliners on CAC 40, retreating over 7%.

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