12:11 PM EDT, 10/01/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed higher in Wednesday trading as the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 1.21%, Germany's DAX gained 1.13%, the FTSE 100 increased 1.03%, France's CAC advanced 0.90%, and the Swiss Market Index climbed 2.07%.

Euro area annual inflation is expected to rise an estimated 2.2% in September, up from 2.0% in August, according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The reading matched analysts' forecasts, according to Bloomberg.

Among the main components of inflation, services are expected to have the highest annual rate at 3.2%, followed by food, alcohol and tobacco at 3.0%. The highest inflation rates were in Estonia (5.2%), Croatia and Slovakia (4.6% each), and Latvia (4.1%), while the lowest rates were in Cyprus (0%), France (1.1%), and Greece (1.8%).

The HCOB Eurozone Manufacturing PMI, which gauges the overall health of eurozone factories compiled by S&P Global, fell back into contraction territory in September, declining to 49.8 from 50.7 in August. The decline in the index indicates a deterioration in factory operating conditions in the euro area, according to Hamburg Commercial Bank.

In the UK, house prices rose to 2.2% in September, from 2.1% in August, according to the Nationwide House Price Index. The average home price rose to 271,995 pounds ($366,452) from 271,079 pounds the previous month, adjusted for seasonal effects.

"The broad stability in the annual rate of house price growth over the past three months mirrors that of activity," Nationwide Chief Economist Robert Gardner said in a statement. "The number of mortgages approved for house purchase have been hovering at around 65,000 cases per month, close to the pre-pandemic average."

And in corporate news, GSK is "betting big on the US" and has been in constructive talks with US President Donald Trump's administration on drug pricing, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing outgoing Chief Executive Emma Walmsley. Walmsley called the US the industry's "biggest priority market" and noted GSK's pledge to invest $30 billion in R&D and advanced manufacturing, the report said.

Shares of the British pharmaceutical giant advanced more than 6% on the FTSE 100.

Stellantis and Mistral AI have expanded their partnership to accelerate the integration of generative artificial intelligence across the automaker's operations, the companies said Wednesday in a joint statement. The expanded collaboration will initially focus on sales and after-sales, eventually extending to engineering and other domains, the companies said.

Shares of Stellantis gained 3.4% in Paris.

Mining company BHP Group said Wednesday it is investing over A$840 million ($555.3 million) in its Olympic Dam copper operations in South Australia. The investment will fund several key projects, including an underground access tunnel, a new backfill system, expanded ore pass capacity, and a new oxygen plant, the company said.

Shares of BHP rose 1.61% in London.

Dutch pension fund ABP has sold its stake in Caterpillar over its policies on investments in conflict zones, news outlets reported Wednesday. ABP stated on Wednesday that "we cannot and will not ignore the many questions we receive about the war raging in Gaza." The fund also said it expects companies it invests in to comply with national and international laws and regulations.

Caterpillar did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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