12:16 PM EST, 01/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed higher in Friday trading as the Stoxx Europe rose 0.96%, Germany's DAX gained 0.52%, the FTSE 100 increased 0.80%, France's CAC advanced 1.44%, and the Swiss Market Index was up 0.53%.

In Germany, price-adjusted manufacturing sector output rose 0.8% in November, compared with October, after seasonal and calendar adjustment, according to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office.

Analysts were expecting a 0.6% decline, according to Bloomberg.

The FSO also reported a 13.1 billion euro ($15.3 billion) trade balance for November, while analysts surveyed by Bloomberg were expecting a 16.3 billion euro trade balance.

In France, household consumption of goods in terms of volume declined 0.3% in November, after increasing 0.5% in October. Analysts were expecting a 0.1% decline, according to Bloomberg.

And in corporate news, Rio Tinto is open to retaining Glencore's coal business if merger talks between the two miners lead to a merger, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Rio Tinto on Thursday confirmed the companies are in "preliminary discussions" for a possible combination of some or all of their businesses.

The stance would mark a shift for Rio, which exited coal in 2018, while Glencore has remained one of the world's biggest coal producers, according to the report.

Glencore declined to comment, while Rio Tinto did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

Shares of Rio Tinto fell 3% in London, while Glencore shares rose nearly 10%.

Banco Santander said Friday that it has completed the sale of a 49% stake in Santander Bank Polska to Erste Group Bank for 7 billion euros ($8.15 billion) in cash.

Under the deal announced in May, 2025, Erste has acquired 49% of the share capital of Santander Bank Polska and a 50% stake in the Polish asset management business that Santander Bank Polska did not own, Banco Santander said.

The Spanish lender said Erste plans to change Santander Bank Polska's name to Erste Bank Polska in Q2.

Shares of Banco Santander added 0.4% in Madrid.

Ryanair has been penalized by a German court over its alleged refusal to comply with judicial mandates, plaintiff eDreams ODIGEO said Thursday.

The Regional Court of Hamburg imposed a fine on Ryanair for allegedly breaching an injunction granted to eDreams in May 2025, eDreams said.

In a separate ruling, the Hamburg Court ruled that Ryanair's mechanism for forcing user consent through a search button that pre-ticks the terms and conditions box was prohibited, according to eDreams.

The court also ruled against Ryanair's refund restriction rules and administration fees for processing government tax refunds, the travel subscription platform said.

Ryanair said in a statement emailed to MT Newswires that it welcomed the judgements, which it said accused eDreams of misleading consumers about the pricing of seat reservations and checked baggage. "eDreams continues to scrape our fares and overcharge consumers," spokesperson Dara Brady said.

TotalEnergies said Friday the company and partners Eni and QatarEnergy have signed a deal with the Lebanese government to enter an exploration permit offshore Lebanon.

The group's initial work program on the Block 8 permit comprises the acquisition of a 1,200-square-kilometer 3D seismic survey to further evaluate the area's exploration potential, the company said.

Shares of TotalEnergies rose 3.2% in Paris, while Eni shares were up 2.1% in Milan.

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